Choice: Out of Place 2
by someblessedmonster
Summary: Buffy is living a heavenly life in her new home, but both her new and old families have different plans for the rest of it. As a new evil rises, Buffy and our heroes must find themselves and make the ultimate choice. [BTVS S7 X LOTR sequel to Out of Place
1. Champion

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**1. Champion**:

Wind whistled through the leaves of the trees as a silver disc shined down on a soft, white field. A colossal mountainous region stood next to the field, watching with exhausted eyes. From their position, the Mountains could see what appeared to be a silver spike standing steadfast in the night air, sparkling with the grandeur of age and experience. The spike and the Mountains stared at each other every night as they watched over the land together.

They each remembered a time not so very long ago, when their land had no King. The fates of every race, including men, were grim and defeat was certain. Blood ran like rivers, dyeing the color of the field beneath them crimson. The air reeked with fear; a thick, sickening odor from which there was no escape that choked and strangled the living. Life itself was a dimming flame in grave danger of being snuffed out forever. It was a time of terror. It was a time of nightmares. It was a time of Darkness.

But it was also a time of light: of hope, dreams and heroes. The world had almost forgotten what courage was, what a champion was. Until the day several strangers came to their land.

Some say that it is because of them their world remains. Many speculate that they and their story is merely fable. How could it be possible that strangers from another land and time could mysteriously appear by accident and change the fate of the world? But if it was possible, was it truly by accident? Or was it destiny?

Do people, the Mountains constantly pondered, have an option at all? Are they the rulers of their fate, or merely slaves to whatever direction the wind blows? If they live by destiny, are they bound by destiny? Do the living have control of their lives? Are they chosen, or do they have a choice?

The Mountains, despite their age and knowledge, did not know the answer. But what they were sure of is that some are devoted to their cause, destined or not. The price of glory is high, and there are many paths which a hero can choose. But one breed of hero always chooses the path of sacrifice; a fireman when the floods roll back:

A Champion.

* * *

"Are you sure this is safe, Háleth?" a small, female voice asked with a whisper. Háleth, a boy no older than fourteen, tromped across the silver grass of the Pelennor Fields, the path illuminated by the glowing moonlight as the younger, golden-haired girl followed him hesitantly. "We're not supposed to wander passed the Great Gate at this hour! Trouble will come to us if we're found!" 

"Trouble will come if you continue to be as loud as you are now, Erendy," the fair-haired boy responded with a whisper. The ten-year-old girl turned away from him as they continued to cross the seemingly endless fields.

"Why are we here, anyway?" Erendy asked impatiently.

"I told you," Háleth replied. "If I am to become a Knight of Gondor, I must be familiar with the lay of my land. King Elessar told me that is what he did. Did I ever tell you the story of when he and I—"

"Killed a million orcs together," Erendy rolled her eyes. "And that you came to his aid in battle. Yes, yes, we've already heard the story."

"Well, it's true!" Háleth declared.

"Of course it is," Erendy answered skeptically as she crossed her arms. "And I suppose you destroyed the One Ring yourself!"

Háleth's face twisted with annoyance as he jerked his head away from her. A few seconds passed as the two children nearly reached the mountainous woods, then a smile curved Háleth's red lips as he looked back at her with a mysterious tone, "You'd better be quiet, Erendy. They say that orcs still linger about the mountains ahead of us."

Erendy suddenly froze, her smile completely gone as she glared at him. "Stop joking," she demanded.

"I kid you not," Háleth grinned, as he also stopped. "It's the truth."

Erendy's eyes remained frozen on him as a dreadful worry came over her, "Don't say that, Háleth!"

He let out a laugh, then continued on, "Come on, we mustn't linger."

Erendy didn't budge. Háleth looked back at her, "Oh, don't be such a child!" She stared at him, unimpressed. "I'm not jesting anymore," he answered. "Everyone knows that orcs wouldn't dare come around these parts. Not now that—"

A snarling roar rang out in front of them as the two children's heads suddenly whipped towards the darkness of the woods before them. They froze in terror; the sounds of their hearts beating could be heard over the rustle of the leaves in the trees. A cold breeze flew through the fields and chilled them to the bone.

"Maybe we should return home," Erendy quietly whispered.

"Yes," Háleth nodded, his eyes still wide. "Yes, that would be best." The children turned away with a start and screamed in horror. An ebony-skinned, drooling, snarling orc stood in front of them with terrible, green teeth and reptilian eyes that gazed at them hungrily.

"Mmm," the orc grinned, "man flesh. And so little. So sweet." Standing a foot taller than both of them, he reached out and grabbed each child around the neck and lifted them off of the ground. "So hungry…"

Erendy kicked the orc in the belly and it howled in pain, dropping both children. "Run!" Háleth shouted, grabbing Erendy by the hand and bolting through the fields. They sped off through the night, yard-by-yard, with their hearts racing as they heard the footsteps of the monster behind them. Háleth looked back in terror to see the orc had disappeared. He turned back to see the orc now standing in the path ahead.

Both children screamed and angled themselves into another direction with the starving orc in pursuit. Háleth had never run so fast in his life as he concentrated solely on the threat behind him. His toe suddenly grabbed a hard rock and he went face-first into the dirt. Erendy stopped suddenly to see her friend had disappeared.

"Háleth!" she screamed. "Háleth! Answer me!"

"Run, Erendy!" she heard coming from a patch of thick grass behind her. She disobeyed his orders and raced towards Háleth, suddenly spotting him as he sat down in the dirt holding his ankle in bitter pain. "Erendy, run!" he ordered, looking up at her.

"Not without you!" she shouted, running to his side.

"Get help!" Háleth declared. A shadow fell on them as the moonlight was suddenly snubbed out. They looked up to see the orc lurking over them with a malicious grin on his twisted face.

"Sweet man-children," the orc hissed, and like a bullet he rushed them. The children closed their eyes in horror to suddenly hear a thud. Erendy and Háleth opened their eyes to see no orc in front of them. Instead, the sounds of a struggle could be heard nearby.

Erendy stood up with wide eyes to see a young woman tackling the orc to the ground with the ruggedness of a man. She watched in shock as the girl kicked the orc in the head, fighting it in the strangest way. She punched the monster in the face, and then hit it again, but with the back of her fist. The girl dug her knee into the stomach of the orc and it bent over in immense pain.

With the grace of an elf, the woman flipped over the back of the orc and shoved her elbow into the side of its throat. The orc finally retaliated, punching the woman's face, but she was not disheartened in the least. She glared at the orc and let out a short, saucy laugh; that of a dwarf. With a wide grin, she punched the orc three times in the head, twice in the stomach and spun around and kicked it in the chest, sending it flying backwards – all of this done in a matter of brief seconds.

The orc hit the ground hard on its back and stared up at its attacker with terror. In between his spastic episodes of fear, he wondered if it could be her. The blonde woman stood over him and pulled a small weapon out from behind her. It's her, he thought as he saw the weapon with abject horror in his eyes.

The woman drove the wooden stake into the heart of the orc as it howled a final howl and then died moments later. She came to a stand quickly with the black blood-stained stake in her hand as she declared with the perk of a hobbit, "And _that's_ precious time that I'll never get back."

Buffy Summers stared at her kill with a pleased half-smile and then looked down at her white blouse in shock. A greasy, black, oily stain dripped through the cloth of her clothes and her face fell flat. "Great," she spat, staring down at the stain. "How am I ever going to get this out?" She glared down at the dead orc at her feet, "Why can't you just turn to dust like normal minions of evil?"


	2. Afterlife

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**2. Afterlife:**

Sunlight poured through the grand halls of the Tower of Ecthelion as Buffy strolled idly, gazing at the paintings on the stone walls in wonder. She felt comfortable in her clothes: a long, blue, cotton skirt that hung to her ankles paired with a corset-like top of the same shade of blue. Despite her many attempts, she had so far failed to convey the pros of denim to the people of Middle Earth, but she figured with time, they would understand. She stopped at one painting in particular, the subject of which caught her eye.

A woman with long, dark hair stared out at Buffy with deep blue eyes that burned purity into her soul. Beauty filled her facial features and glittering eyes as delicate white flowers, as delicate as her tiny pale figure, dotted her dark mane. A crown of stars circled her head and she appeared – to Buffy's surprise – to be even more gorgeous than the city of Lothlórien itself. She was beauty.

"You've arrived," Buffy heard from behind her. She turned around to see a woman with dark hair standing behind her in a red gown with a silver crown upon her head. "Buffy," she smiled.

"Arwen," Buffy warmly grinned in return. "Nae saian luume.'" _It has been too long._

Arwen's dark brow rose with a hint of surprise as she replied, "Cormamin lindua ele lle." _My heart sings to see thee. _"Mani nae lle umien?" _What have you been doing?_

Buffy shrugged simply, "Pugno." _Fighting._

"Lle lakwenien?"_Are you joking?_ Arwen asked.

Buffy shook her head, then smiled and replied, "Ta nae seasamin."_ It was my pleasure._

Arwen laughed as she replied, "Cormlle naa tanya tel'raa." _Your heart is that of a lion._

"Sut naa amin umien?" _How am I doing?_ Buffy asked with a worried, half-smile.  
"Well," Arwen nodded, pleased. "I have heard that Gandalf has been teaching you Elfish."

"A lot easier than French," Buffy answered, as she looked back up at the painting. "Who is this?"

Arwen looked up at the piece of art and responded, "Her name was Luthien Tinuviel." Arwen blushed, remembering, "That is the name that Aragorn gave to me when we first met."

Buffy looked over at Arwen in confusion, "Usually guys didn't start calling me by different names until the third date—"

"It was nothing short of a compliment," Arwen answered with a laugh. "Luthien Tinuviel is considered to be the most beautiful being of any race in Middle Earth." Arwen stared at the painting as her smile faded a bit, "She was an elf who fell in love with a mortal man and gave up her immortality to be with him."

Buffy nodded, "Well that sounds like a 'happily ever after.'"

She looked over at Arwen who stared back at her without the same positivity that Buffy possessed. "All that is known is that she perished not long after her husband," Arwen answered, turning back to the painting.

"Oh," Buffy replied, realizing that she'd stepped into a pothole. "Well, that's not saying that… you know… all elves that choose the love of their lives over immortality will end up dying." She paused and then added, "Well, I guess they _eventually_ will. But I mean... it'll be a happy death. I mean, not happy, but—"

"I understand," Arwen shook her head, trying to change the subject. She looked up at Buffy with a warm smile. "We thank you for risking your life for our kingdom." The two ladies began to walk towards the doors of the hall they were in.

"Hey," Buffy shrugged, "that's what I'm here for."

"Malia ten' vasa?" _Care for some food?_ Arwen asked.

"Echedi nin veren," _Please,_ Buffy replied. "Lle merna salk, Spangaer."

Arwen stopped and gazed at her in confusion, "You just said 'Do you want to dance, Bearded One?'"

Buffy's face fell flat, then nervously laughed, "Oh, yeah, well… Elfish thing's still a work in progress."

* * *

Buffy approached two stone doors guarded by several armed guards. As soon as they recognized her, they quickly stepped out of the way exclaiming, "My lady." She eyed them curiously, surprised by her special treatment as two other men pushed open the doors for Buffy and she entered the King's hall. Another smaller guard rushed up to her side with a scroll in hand.

Buffy turned to the little man and eyed him curiously as he opened the scroll and read aloud with a booming, regal voice, "King Elessar, King of Gondor, Telcontar, Lord of the White Tree…"

"Thank you," a slightly irritated, yet humble voice declared from the back of the hall, near the throne. "That will be all."

Buffy looked up at Aragorn with a caring smile on her face, "So… What's the what?"

"Aratoamin," he smiled, pleased as Buffy approached him and they hugged each other kindly. He wasn't overdressed in the clothes that one would expect of a King, but dressed in the clothes of a Ranger, with the White Tree of Gondor across his chest and the silver crown of the King on his head.

Buffy turned around to see Gandalf the White, clad in a white robe with his white staff in his hand, staring at her with sparkling blue eyes as he stood nearby with a smile on his face. "Buffy," he nodded reverently. "Your presence brings light to these halls."

"Gandalf," Buffy grinned, "always looking good."

"How was your journey?" Aragorn asked pleasantly.

"Longer than a Celine Dion concert," Buffy sighed, "but I've had longer." She looked around at the beautiful hall inside the Tower of Ecthelion with a smile, "I feel like I haven't been here in… ever."

"Not since Aragorn's coronation," Gandalf answered, "nearly two years ago."

"Two prosperous years," Aragorn replied, "thanks, in part, to you."

"Ah, geez," Buffy grinned, "you don't have to shower me with all these compliments." She shrugged, "But it's kinda nice. So, feel free to shower me anytime." They stared at her in silence as she responded, "Trust me. That sounded better in my head."

"On to business, now," Gandalf declared. "We've received word of an orc corpse in the Pelennor Fields."

"That would be my orc corpse," Buffy replied. "Caught him before he could catch a midnight kiddie meal."

"Children?" Aragorn asked with deep concern. "Are they safe?"

"They're okay," Buffy answered. "But here's another tidbit that should've been brought to my attention: orc blood and your laundry whites don't exactly mix."

"The orcs are becoming restless," Aragorn declared, pondering the subject.

"But they are few," Gandalf replied positively.

"Still," Aragorn paced, "we need a stronger defense. Especially on the eastern end near Mordor."

"Or what's left of it," Buffy replied, and then turned to Aragorn. "What about setting up a team to patrol the eastern end every night? With a captain to lead them… Faramir, maybe?"

"That is a possibility," Aragorn nodded, "but he currently is stationed in Ithilien."

"Eowyn probably wouldn't like that idea too much either," Buffy added with a grin. "I suppose I could do a little patrolling, but the Pelennor Fields isn't your standard everyday graveyard…" Aragorn and Gandalf glanced at each other, an idea coming to them, and then they turned to Buffy as she continued to babble. "I think you'd need someone—"

"Skilled in the matters of combat?" Gandalf suggested.

Buffy looked at him, "Yeah, and—"

"An effective leader strong enough to command an army?" Aragorn added.

"Well… yes, and—"

"Brilliant!" Gandalf exclaimed, staring at Buffy with shining eyes. "I imagine you would be the perfect choice." He turned to Aragorn, "Wouldn't you agree, Elessar?"

Aragorn gazing at her graciously as he nodded slightly, "I would."

"Wait," Buffy forced a smile through her nervousness, "you mean that I should be—"

"A captain," Aragorn nodded. "A commander of the Gondorian Army."

"Second in command to only one person," Gandalf declared proudly, "the King himself."

"Wow," Buffy stared almost blankly at the two men for several anxious seconds before she finally added, "Okay… Well, a-are you sure that… me… or, you know, I – that I'm ready to…" She let the words fade away and began again, "I've never done anything like this before."

Aragorn and Gandalf gazed at Buffy in confusion for several seconds. They turned to each other, then turned to Buffy as Aragorn asked, "But… haven't you?" Buffy smiled, but uncertainty could be seen in her green eyes. Aragorn let out a small laugh as he reminded her, "What about all of those years you were the Slayer in… what was the name of that town?"

"Sunnydale," Gandalf answered. Aragorn and Gandalf turned to Buffy to see her smile had faded completely. She stared with a stone face that showed a hint of despair in her eyes as she heard _that word_. Buffy swallowed hard and closed her eyes as the doors swung open suddenly, breaking her from her trance.

"King Elessar!" a Gondorian man ran into the hall with exclamation in his eyes and tone. "Aid must be sent to quickly to the West!"

Aragorn's lighthearted mood changed suddenly to seriousness, "What has happened?"

"That is not certain," the Knight declared gravely as he looked at Buffy. "But there is trouble in the Shire!" Buffy eyes widened with gravity as she turned to Aragorn and Gandalf suddenly.

"Come," Gandalf's voice boomed in the hall as he took Buffy by the arm, "our flight shall be faster than the Eagles of the Sky."

* * *

The meat is getting cold.

_It's getting cold_, Anya Jenkins said to herself as she sat in the Summers' dining room. _The meat's getting cold_. Her blonde curls hung down into her face as she stared down blankly at her dinner plate. She sat next to Xander Harris who had a blank and glazed over expression as he gazed at his meat, potatoes and peas and swallowed hard.

Anya gazed across the wooden dining room table to see Tara who stared around uncomfortably, looking to someone's anguished face, looking back at Willow, then turning back to another face, repeating this process several times. Next to her, Willow was quiet and very small as she gaped down at her dinner plate, and once again she was that helpless, long-haired sophomore that kept her head down when popular people passed by. Anya turned to the end of the table where Dawn sat, also zoned out, but with something in her eyes that scared even Anya.

Nothing.

Anya's eyes fell upon everyone at the table around her and she knew what was wrong. It was an inescapable realization that hadn't quite settled in with everybody. Anya looked up at the grandfather clock against the dining room wall: 7:43. Exactly eighty-four hours and twenty-nine minutes since she had died. _She's gone_, Anya thought. _Why doesn't everyone understand that?_ She spent a few moments in quiet reflection as she remembered exactly what they had lost. _She's gone_, Anya repeated, feeling a bit sadder. _She's gone._

She looked back over at her fiancé, Xander, to see him with a new understanding. This was much worse than losing Joyce. This was his best friend. Anya never really understood what was so special about Buffy. There was the whole Slayer aspect – but she didn't get what was special about Buffy just being Buffy. Anyanka had once hated the Slayer. She and her friends were responsible for the reduction of the once-great Vengeance demon to nothing more than a mere mortal. Now with Buffy gone, Anya had to admit that they needed her alive in Sunnydale.

_But that would be impossible_, she thought. _She's really gone_. How could the Scoobies continue to be the Scoobies without her? Anya looked over at Dawn, taking in the agony of the young girl's eyes. She was so young. She was nothing more than an infant compared to how long Anya had been in the world. But the little brat had seen more pain and loss than most of the whiny women that she'd granted wishes to in her Vengeance demon days.

And then there's Tara. Poor, lost, confused Tara. A year ago she really wasn't one of the Scoobies. Now she's a permanent member, but it's not quite in the way she'd expected. She's become something of a mother to Dawn, who lost hers in April of this year, and now she has to fill in for Buffy. They _all_ have to fill in for Buffy, it seems. Those are big, steel-heeled boots to fill.

Willow. She hadn't said more than four words in the eighty-four hours and twenty-… now _thirty_ minutes since they had found Buffy's lifeless body on top of a pile of broken concrete below the tower. Even today at Buffy's funeral she said absolutely nothing. She just stares. Thinks. Anya guessed that she was probably thinking that she could have done something to save her. And it was true, Willow being this powerful witch and all. She probably could've saved Buffy. That's something that they all were thinking in one way or another about now.

But Anya wanted to help. What could she say to make them feel better? Anya looked over at Xander, then Willow, then Tara, then finally Dawn.

"The meat's getting cold," Anya declared. The four pairs of eyes looked back over at Anya with a confused and almost irritated expression. Xander turned away from Anya, with a dash of embarrassment in his eyes, and looked at Willow, Tara and Dawn apologetically. "What?" Anya asked innocently, having noticed the expression. "I just thought I'd remind you because you're probably all thinking about Buffy."

Willow's eyes ripped away from what void she was staring at and she glared at Anya with raw harshness. Tara swallowed hard as she looked from her girlfriend and back to Anya several times before she meekly began, "Uh, um, you-you're right, Anya. I-I could warm the plates up if anybody wants me to?"

"Why can't you just be normal?" Dawn's voice bluntly broke in. Xander and Tara turned towards the 14-year-old who sat still with her eyes burning on Anya, overflowing with a mixture of grief and anger. Anya looked over at Dawn like a deer in the headlights as the teenage girl callously continued, "Why can't you be normal for once in your _life_?" Dawn glared at Anya, breathing heavily and deeply disturbed.

Xander, also unnerved, turned to Dawn and began softly, "Dawn, she didn't—"

"Do you even care that she's gone!" Dawn barked with a ferocious and urgent tone. "Do you _understand_ that! Are you _capable_ of understanding that! Or is it all just a… a _thing_! A stupid mortal thing that stupid mortals do!"

Xander tried again, "Dawn—"

Anya stared speechlessly at her as Dawn kept on shouting. She jumped out of her chair and burned her eyes into the ex-Vengeance demon, "What, do you think we're freaks or something? Well, you're a freak, too."

"That's enough!" Xander shouted, glaring at the teenager angrily while his fiancé quickly put her head down in shame.

"Why are you defending her, Xander?" Dawn hollered. "She doesn't even care!"

"That's not true, sweetie," Tara compassionately replied. "You're just tired. We're all tired—"

"Don't," Dawn's head whipped towards Tara as her eyes flashed with pure lividness. Tara was taken aback as she looked into Dawn's expression and heard her slow, vehement warning, "Don't you _ever_ talk to me like that again." Dawn's eyes and voice glittered with rage, "You are _not_ my mother and you never will be."

With the last sentence, Dawn could hold back tears no longer. She pulled away from the table and rushed up the stairs to her room, sobbing uncontrollably. Silence blanketed the rest of them for what seemed like an eternity and nothing could be heard except the ticking of the grandfather clock beside the table.

Xander looked over to see Anya, still with her head down, as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. He reached over and lovingly put a hand on her shoulder which she bravely rejected and with a nod, let him know that she was okay. Xander looked up to see Tara, still with a blank expression on her face as she inhaled lightly.

"I-I wasn't…" Tara began, but couldn't finish right away. She took another breath and whispered, "I wasn't trying to be..." The words faded away into nothingness.

"She didn't mean what she said," Xander shook his head. He stared down at the wooden grain of the table as his eyes followed several lines streaking the oak. "Long day," he breathed uncomfortably. The clock ticked at least fifteen more times before the silence was broken again.

"Is this what it's going to be like from now on?" Anya sniffed timidly, almost afraid to speak. When she saw that she had Tara and Xander's sympathetic attention, she continued quietly, "We're going to be at each other's throats just trying to… hang on?" Xander rubbed her shoulder as Anya looked up at him and asked fearfully, "What if we can't make it without her?"

"We can't," Willow declared point-blank. Tara, Xander and Anya turned to her as she stared down at the table with a crinkled brow and a grim face. Xander gazed at her worriedly; in all the time that he'd known her, he'd never seen an expression like that one on her face before. "The one thing that kept us together;" she explained, "the one thing that kept us alive; the one thing that makes us who we are… is Buffy. Buffy is our leader."

"'_Was_,'" Xander answered as he stared at her in confusion. "She… _was_ our Slayer."

"And will be again," Willow replied with a flame of hope in her heart. The others watched her as she stood up at the table, towering over them like a king. Willow declared to them with resolve and finality, "We're gonna bring her back."


	3. From Heaven

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**3. From Heaven:**

A thick veil of darkness covered the small town of Hobbiton. A soft wind breathed through the town, over the Hill and across the many hobbit holes of the people in residence. The whistle of the air was the only sound that could be heard until the hoof beats of two horses racing into the town drowned the wind out. Shadowfax, Gandalf's brilliant white horse, came to a halt next to Buffy's black stallion, Anarya, as the two of them quickly leapt off of the saddles and onto the ground.

Buffy's green eyes quickly scanned the area, not having to adjust in the night, as Gandalf cautiously put his staff to his side. "Silence lurks over this place," Gandalf declared, viewing the landscape warily, "as if it were a tomb."

At the bottom of the Hill, the water of the pond near the tree waxed silently across the shore. Absolutely no lights could be seen coming from any of the hobbit holes or other establishments through the darkness. No creature made a peep save for Buffy and Gandalf's beating hearts; even the fish in the water seemed to be dead silent.

"This is twelve kinds of too quiet," Buffy whispered, shaking her head with worry. She turned around and declared with concern, "You look for the others. I'm going to find them and make sure they're safe." Gandalf nodded and turned away as Buffy gave a final order, "Watch your back."

Gandalf nodded once again and silently slipped away. Now alone, the Slayer turned back towards the dirt path and walked into the deep darkness.

The light of the newborn October moon shined down on Sunnydale, the trees of the forest near one of the many graveyards casting shadows down through the light. But it was enough to see by.

Willow sat directly across from a grey, granite tombstone as Tara sat on her left holding a lit candle that flickered in the night wind. Beside her, Xander sat next to Anya, both of them holding candles and all four of them forming a semi-circle. "Does everyone have their candles?" Willow asked nervously.

"Mine won't stay lit," Anya sighed in anxious frustration. She held her candle, being the only person with an unlit candle, in her hand while she shakily tried to light the wick with the lighter in her other hand. She squinted in the dark to see while Willow flashed her upset looks.

"Well, hurry," Willow bit off as she glared at Anya, mixed with anger and nervousness. "It has to be lit!"

"What time is it?" Tara breathed tensely, gazing at the tombstone near her with anxiety.

Xander looked down at his watch while he held his lit candle in his hand, "One minute until midnight."

"Come on, Anya," Willow exclaimed. "Do you have it ready?"

"I've got it," Anya replied as she lit her candle finally. She stared at the weak flame protectively as the wind blew, shielding the breeze with her hand. "I've got it, I've got it…"

"Okay," Willow breathed, inhaling deeply. All four of them shifted into a kneeling position, all of them with lit candles save for Willow, who held the Urn of Osiris in her hand. Willow stared at the face of the tombstone almost defiantly as she declared, "Start the circle now."

The tombstone stared back, reading with finality:

_Buffy Anne Summers_

1981 – 2001

Beloved Sister,

Devoted Friend

She Saved the World a lot.

Buffy rounded a massive tree quietly as she walked away from Bagshot Row near a soft, giant field of luscious green. She suddenly came to a stop as a trickle ran down her spine. She closed her eyes and listened to the stillness of her surroundings in complete silence. 

At the slightest snap of a twig behind her, her eyes flung open and she spun around, tapping whatever opponent there was behind her with her foot in the form of a light kick. A short man, no more than a yard tall, flew backwards several dozen feet and landed softly in a bail of hay. Buffy stared at the hobbit in confusion as he was quickly joined by two other unknown hobbits.

The downed hobbit lifted his head up at looked at Buffy, dazed by his flight, as he said to his friends dreamily with a lopsided grin, "She touched me!"

An instant later, a burst of cheers and shouts erupted around Buffy from every angle and she was at once submerged in a wave of gleeful emotions. Hobbits leaped out of hiding places from everywhere, all cheering and laughing with giddy delight. Buffy gazed around with a bewildered look of puzzlement as Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took popped out their hiding places and approached Buffy with grins on their faces.

"Surprise!" Pippin shouted.

"We got you!" said Merry.

Buffy looked around Party Field to see at least fifty hobbits surrounding her with arms full of food as kegs of ale pushed by hobbits rolled down the Hill towards them. "Whoa!" Buffy shouted, shocked and confused. "Wait! What's going on here?"

Buffy turned around carefully, trying to avoid stepping or knocking down any of her short fans and she faced a gigantic, seven-tiered cake dotted with lit candles carried by eleven shaky hobbits who were trying to keep it from crashing to the ground. 

Samwise Gamgee rounded the mountainous cake with a shyly excited, yet humble look on his face. "We, uh…" Sam began to explain as he looked up at Buffy. "We didn't know when your birthday was…" He looked over to his side as his beautiful wife, Rosie Cotton-Gamgee, appeared and held onto his shoulder with a beaming smile on her face. Sam turned back to Buffy, a little more comfortably and finished, "So us hobbits decided to choose a day and give it to you."

"It was Sam's idea," Rosie boasted as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he blushed and looked away with a smile in return.

"I couldn't of done it without Merry and Pippin," Sam declared, looking over at them as they joined Buffy, Sam and Rosie. Sam turned to another corner of the crowd and he smiled just a bit more affectionately, "Or without Mr. Frodo."

Buffy turned around to see Frodo standing in front of a section of the crowd as the other hobbits looked at him with a smile. Buffy and Frodo saw each other for the first time in nearly a year and they shared a warm, knowing smile. 

"Frodo," Buffy grinned with sparkling eyes as she stared down at her friend.

"Buffy," he declared with a compassionate nod and a half-smile. "Happy Birthday."

Meekly, Merry approached her, holding his hand behind his back with his eyes on the ground. He finally looked up at her face with sparkling eyes and a wide, warm grin. He pulled his hand from behind his back and lifted a fragile, white flower up for her, offering it to her compassionately. "Happy birthday, Buffy..." he shyly said.

"Merry" she smiled, as she took the flower from his tiny hand and couldn't imagine any other way to react.

Gandalf the White appeared behind Frodo, the crowd parting by itself as he walked through, and gazed at Buffy with a wise calm in his eyes, "We'd hoped that you would approve."

"You're in on this to?" Buffy declared incredulously.

"You're not offended, are you?" Gandalf asked, knowing in his heart that she wouldn't be. Buffy stared into his eyes, then looked down at Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Sam and the others around her. She looked back up at Gandalf with a stern look in her eye and held it for several seconds, before letting out a small laugh.

"I've got a cake that would bring proud tears into Betty Crocker's eyes," Buffy grinned. "I'm knee-deep in friends… food… ale… and, most of all, hobbits." She looked down at some unknown mesmerized faces and then looked back to her friends, "I'm in Heaven."

"Osiris," Willow declared as she poured fawn's blood into the Urn of Osiris, "Keeper of the Gate, Master of All Fate, hear us." She dipped her index finger into the blood and marked her forehead and the apples of her cheeks with it as Xander, Anya and Tara watched nervously.

"Before time," Willow continued, "and after. "Before knowing and nothing." She took the remainder of the blood and poured it over Buffy's grave, her corpse lying six feet below. "Accept our offering. Hear our prayer."

Willow's head suddenly jerked back, her red hair flying back out of her face, as she extended her arms out in pain. Xander looked down at Willow's pale arms as deep, bloody slash marks ripped across the flesh of her arms.

Frodo gasped lightly as his eyes hit the ground. His fists squeezed together tightly as he came to an uneasy stand, looking away from Pippin as he danced on a tabletop and sang heartily with an ale mug in hand as he usually had. His breathing became more rapid as he clutched the old wound in his shoulder from when he was stabbed by the Witch King on Weathertop, a permanent reminder of how a hero is rewarded.

Buffy twirled around the table, laughing giddily as she got dizzier and dizzier, holding on to Merry's hands as he danced with her. Merry and Buffy finally came to a stop as they nearly collapsed with laughter. She let go and clutched the edge of a table, as she held her stomach and it ached with chuckles. Merry also was as ecstatic as she just to be dancing with her, but he was pulled away by a young hobbit girl as they began a dance to the song.

As she continued to laugh, she turned around to see Frodo grimacing with pain as he stood on the sidelines of the grand party filled with music and food. Her smile faded as she caught her breath and she gently whispered, "Frodo?"

Frodo retreated up the Hill and into his home, slipping away unnoticed by all except for the Slayer. Buffy looked around and excused herself, quickly following him in concerned confusion. She came over the Hill and walked down the dirt road until she came to Frodo's residence.

The small, circular door was left ajar and Buffy let herself in, ducking to fit through the doorframe and minding all of the low wooden beams across the ceiling, of which her face had become acquainted with many times. 

"Frodo?" she called, gazing around the dimmed hobbit hole as she stepped past the crackling fireplace. She approached the room where Frodo spent most of his time as she found him leaning over his writing table, holding his shoulder in pain. "Still hurts, doesn't it?" Frodo turned towards her in surprise as he removed his hand. "It's okay," she answered. "You don't have to hide it from me." With a sympathetic half-smile, she entered the room and walked up beside him.

"I did not intend to cause a scene," Frodo declared with embarrassment as he avoided her eyes. Buffy looked from him to his writing table and spotted the thick red book on the tabletop.

"Is this it?" Buffy asked curiously as she opened the red cover of the book, reading the first page:

_There and Back Again: A Hobbit's Tale_

By Bilbo Baggins

The Lord of the Rings

by Frodo Baggins

"Your book," she declared, impressed, "you've finished it."

"It's not completely finished," Frodo answered. "Similar to our lives." He stared down at the title of his story as memories filled his mind and he added with a tired smile, "Just when you think you're finished… the story never really ends."

Buffy said thoughtfully to herself"And that's exactly why sequels suck." A moment later, she turned back to her friend. "Frodo," she began carefully as she gazed down at him, "I know you're in pain. And… I've heard about all the things you've gone through. I know how much you suffer. Don't think I don't understand."

Frodo looked away from the book and stared out the window of his home as she continued. "I want you to know something," Buffy declared. "I wasn't there for you when it happened. I wasn't there to protect you like I wish I could've. But I'm here now and here is where I'm going to stay." She stared at Frodo as he looked away from her, obviously unconvinced.

"Aragorn offered me a job," she announced. "He wants me to be captain of his army." Frodo looked over at her in surprise as she gently added, "Do you realize how many lives I could protect with a position like that? I'm not going to lie to you, Frodo, the threat is still out there. Sauron may be gone and the Ring is destroyed, but evil is still in Middle Earth."

Frodo shifted uncomfortably as he heard the mention of the One Ring of Power. "And I'm here to kill it until it's gone for good," Buffy declared defiantly. "I can protect you… and everyone in Middle Earth… Sam, Rosie…Merry, Pippin… Gandalf, Aragorn, Arwen… everyone. Including you." She compassionately declared, "I can make sure that those things never hurt you or our friends ever again."

"It's not the things that I have faced in my past that I fear," Frodo finally replied as he turned to her. He stared at her with his intense blue eyes as he explained, "It's the thing that _I_ was that scares me."

Buffy remembered what Sam had said about the person that the Ring made him. _'The look in his eyes, Ms. Buffy,' _Sam said, _'when he claimed that Ring for his own…' _He wasn't able to finish the sentence, but Buffy already had a good idea.

"That wasn't you," Buffy answered. "That was the Ring—"

"And a part of the Ring still exists," Frodo exclaimed with a whisper. "In me." Frodo turned away from her and looked out the window at the population of Hobbiton as the sounds of their dancing and cheering could be heard over the popping of the fireplace. "I can't help but feel like nothing is mine. It's a feeling that I've held with me ever since the day I returned to the Shire." He shook his head slowly as Buffy watched him from behind, "Everything I see… everything I touch… even the food in my mouth… none of it is mine. Everything around me reminds me of everything I had and lost. It feels…"

The words faded away as painful memories filled his mind. "I don't suppose I can describe how it feels, Buffy," Frodo shook his head. "But as for you understanding…" He turned to Buffy with regret on his face, "I don't think that you can. I hope that you never do."

Buffy gazed at him speechlessly, her heart wanting to break. He looked away from her with pain in his eyes as she searched for the right words to say. Her eyes rested upon him as she declared softly, "It gets better." She inhaled smoothly as added, "I know it gets better."

Frodo looked up at her apologetically, "I told you I didn't want to cause a scene." She smiled and shook her head as she pushed whatever tears she might have wanted to cry away. He stared at her deeply and declared, "Thank goodness for you, Buffy. I don't think any of us would have gotten far without you."

"Willow!" Xander exclaimed in terror as he reached for her as she panted in pain.

"No!" Tara declared as she grabbed his arm. She looked over at her girlfriend in fear as she inhaled sharply and stuttered, "Sh-she t-told me that… she'd… be t-tested." She added with uncertainty, "This-this is supposed to happen."

Willow yelled even louder than before, "Osiris! Hear me! Here lies the Warrior of the People! Here lies the Champion of our Time! Find her! Let her cross over!" She gasped in agony as her blood drained from the wounds in her arms.

"We have to help her!" Xander barked.

"She's strong, Xander," Tara declared, tears brimming her eyes. "S-she said n-not to stop. No matter what. If we break the cycle now, it's over!" Anya breathed hard, as she watched Willow grimace in pain. Unseen creatures the size of Willow's palm began to crawl beneath her skin, across her chest and towards her throat. The Scoobies stared at the gruesome scene anxiously as their stomachs twisted.

"Forgive me for leaving on such short notice," Gandalf declared to Buffy and Frodo as they exited Frodo's home, "but I shall return shortly."

"Your fireworks out of pop?" Buffy asked.

With a nod, he replied, "There are a few more surprises that I seemed to have misplaced. It's just a short ride across town and I shall return." A smile curved on to his lips as he stared at Buffy, "Do not let my absence hamper your festivities."

Buffy watched with a small laugh as he turned away quickly and – dare she say – excitedly as he jumped on Shadowfax and raced off. She hadn't seen him in this much fun since… well, ever.

Frodo and Buffy turned towards the party to see the hobbits engaged in a dance while the sounds of a stringed instrument similar to a fiddle jolted them with energy. Sam pushed his way through the crowd up to Frodo and Buffy with a wide grin on his face.

"Mr. Frodo," Sam declared with a beaming smile, "Ms. Buffy. Go out there and dance."

Rosie approached her husband with a giddy feeling as she took his arm, "Samwise Gamgee." 

He turned towards his blonde, curly-haired wife with a curious smile, "What is it, dear?"

"I think I have some bad news," she declared, her face turning into a pout. "Our house is too small."

Buffy blinked at her and declared, "Given your adult height, I think that's a statistical impossibility."

Rosie thought it over as she answered, "Well, I think we'll have to dig out your garden, Sam. And cut down some of the trees, which means we'll have to replant them. And you'll have to plow and hoe the field to replant the garden and the flowers… Well, that is if you still want flowers. I'm not one to push, but I wouldn't mind keeping some of our—"

"What for?" Sam asked, his eyes wide and bewildered.

"Well," she said, staring at him in confusion, "we have to build a room somewhere."

"We got rooms," Sam replied, sounding a bit desperate. "Plenty of 'em."

"Not one for the baby," she answered, looking at him with a mischievous smile. Sam stared at her in confusion for a few seconds, but then it hit him like a frying pan. His eyes went wide as he turned to Buffy and Frodo's smiling, proud faces in utter shock.

"I'm gonna be a father!" Sam declared with excitement.

Frodo let out a hardy laugh and patted him on the shoulder, "Congratulations, Sam!"

"All right!" Buffy grinned. "That's great!" Rosie and Sam burst into laughter as he turned and kissed his wife gleefully.

He pulled away suddenly and protectively, "You should sit down… You shouldn't get so excited!" Sam took his wife's hand and sat her down on a bench overlooking the crowd. "Can I get you anything? Are you too cold? Are you hungry?"

"Sam, Sam," Buffy took his shoulder. "She's pregnant, not a fish. Give her a little room to breathe."

"Everyone, everyone!" they heard Merry announce. They turned around to see Merry on top of a table with a mug in hand as he declared to the silenced crowd. Merry's eyes searched the crowd until they found Buffy, "Speech! Buffy, make a speech!" Frodo, Sam and Rosie turned to Buffy as Pippin made his way through the crowd towards her.

Buffy looked around, blushing, as Pippin took her hand and led her to the table that Merry was standing on. He dismounted the table as she took the stage humbly. Her eyes fell upon the hobbits around her as they shouted and whooped, cheering her name all together, "Buffy! Buffy! Buffy! Buffy!"

"Osiris!" Willow shouted to the sky. "Let her cross—"

Her words were suddenly cut off as she reached down and dug her fingers into the dirt of Buffy's grave. She gasped wildly as she choked and was strangled by a horrifying sight. Willow opened her mouth wide as a thick, slimy cobra slithered out of her throat and on to the grass.

"Oh, my god…" Tara breathed in terror. "Oh, my god…"

"Are you sure this is supposed to happen?" Anya asked, her eyes wide in horror. Just then, a mighty gust of wind blew through the cemetery, pushing the branches of the trees nearby as lightning began to flash in the sky.

"What can I say?" Buffy declared as she gazed out at the quiet and eager crowd. "Two years ago I didn't know any of you, and you accepted me into your homes… and your hearts." She continued, "I've never felt more a part of a family than I do now." She looked over at the four hobbits that she met when it all started, "Thank you for teaching me that there's more to life than death."

She looked back out at the others, "And I want to make sure that I protect your world for your families and—"

Thunder crashed as Buffy's grimaced in pain, grabbing her chest suddenly. Frodo clutched his shoulder in torturing agony. "Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked, turning to his friend with alarm. 

"Buffy!" Merry declared, staring up at her as she wobbled on the table and panting hard, her heart beating nearly out of her chest.

A red glow surrounded and swirled around Willow as she sat up again, staring at the sky, wind blowing past her fiercely. "Release her!" she breathed hard as she glared at the sky defiantly. "Find her! Bring her back!"

"Buffy!" Merry and Pippin called out simultaneously as Sam looked away from Frodo and to his other friend. Lightning flashed again and a beam of light ripped across the space behind Buffy with a horrid, rumbling, tearing sound. The other hobbits shrunk back in terror as red light poured from the tear as if someone had slashed the air with a knife.

There was another explosion of bright red light that blinded the others as they turned their heads in fear. Silence, as if thunder were slowly recoiling and rumbling away. Merry, Pippin, Frodo, Sam and Rosie turned back to see that the Slayer had vanished into thin air.


	4. Into Hell

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**4. Into Hell:**

Lightning flashed around Buffy's now vacated grave only a few minutes after the spell had been aborted. A bolt of red lightning shot out of the sky and buried itself into the grass beneath her tombstone. Inside the coffin beneath the soil, a rotting corpse stared lifelessly into the darkness as a red cloudy mist surrounded it.

A soul was ripped through space and time and jammed back in to the body of Buffy Anne Summers. The body began to regenerate itself suddenly until the flesh was as living as it was when the Slayer had jumped off of the platform into the portal in late May. Buffy could see nothing but darkness and felt as if she were drowning backwards, her flesh regenerating as her spirit entered.

She gasped for air and struggled to breathe, but her throat and tongue were as dry as a desert. Her eyes burned, thirsting for tears, and her skin tingled and seared as if it were burning. A wave of natural emotions that she hadn't felt all commenced at once, her brain nearly overloading as the nerves fired again.

Her blood slowly began to flow again as her heart began to beat, which eased some of the pain. Buffy wanted to scream, but her voice could not be found. It was as if every part of her body was had been asleep for years. Her body began to jerk involuntarily for several moments until she finally was able to regain control of her hands. She reached out and hit something hard, causing even more pain in her tingling fingers and palms.

Buffy banged on the hard, flat surface in front of her, at first assuming that she was blind or had no eyes. Her voice finally found her again and she let out small, whimpering screams as the horrible realization set in. She was trapped inside.

Her fingers began to tear at whatever was in front of her and she scratched and pulled at whatever hollow surface was before her. She could feel one of her fingernails tear off, but that didn't slow her pace. In horrible terror, she finally broke through the wood of the lid of her coffin as thick dirt poured in, nearly suffocating her.

_I'm underground,_ she finally thought. _I'm going to die. I'm going to die… Oh, God, I'm going to die here…_

She grabbed on to the wooden hole and yanked down on it, slicing her flesh even further as splinters of wood impaled her palms and fingers. Dirt as heavy as boulders poured down on Buffy's face, but she kicked and dug her way through it. Buffy felt as if she were sinking to the bottom of a lake as she furiously swam upwards through the soil.

Finally, the hole was wide enough to pull herself up through. She painfully tried to lift herself out of the hole in her coffin, still digging upwards. Terrifying thoughts ran through her head. What if she was digging the wrong way? What if she had a broken bone and couldn't get out? Everything hurt so much she had no way of sensing any injuries.

She got to where she could stand in the place she had been lying down. With all of her might, she pulled her foot up on the lid of the coffin and pushed herself upwards even further, cramming her hands against the dirt above her. She was running out of oxygen fast and she could taste or smell nothing but bloody earth violating her.

She felt her eyes stinging as dirt entered, causing tears to flow. For the first time she realized that she had eyes. Buffy continued to dig as terror and the lack of oxygen wrapped around her throat, and finally she reached a piece of earth that was easy to dig through. What felt like an eternity, but was no more than ten seconds later, Buffy's fist burst through the soil of her grave.

The second hand popped up and she clutched the green grass with bloody fingers, pulling her head out of the dirt. She could see dim light and felt cold wind on her face as she gasped for air. She pulled herself further out of her grave and was hunched over on her stomach. Buffy crawled completely out on the grass like an earthworm, revealing her muddy black dress and filthy legs.

A net of dirt-covered, long blonde hair fell into her face as she struggled to see clearly, a blur intruding on her eyes as the dirt was washed away with her tears. She lay out on the grass, panting in fear as her eyes searched around the dark forest. Birds squawked faintly over the whistle of the breeze and a low, indistinct rumbling could be heard in the distance. Her ear drums ached – everything was far too loud.

_Where am I?_ Buffy thought. _Where's everyone? This isn't my home…_

Slowly, with legs feeling like wet noodles, she came to a wobbly stand as she gazed around in mass confusion. She turned around to see a dark stone in front of her at her feet as her vision slowly cleared. Buffy's expression was frozen solid as she read the name, not recognizing it until a few seconds later as her own. Her eyes widened as the engraved words laughed at her, mocking her and terrifying her, and she stepped backwards in trauma.

She was in hell. This was not her home.

* * *

"Oh, no!" Rosie breathed in terror as she stared at the table in shock. "Oh, no! What happened?" Screams erupted as the crowd of nearly a hundred took off in a rabid and terrified dash, running in every direction and tripping and trampling over everything in their path.

"What was that?" Pippin's chest heaved in fear. "Merry, what was that?" He turned to his friend to see a baffled and equally fearful expression plastered on his face.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam shouted, dropping to his knees as he helped Frodo up. Frodo came to a stand and turned towards the table to see Buffy completely gone.

"Buffy…" he breathed. "Buffy…?"

"She up and disappeared," Sam exclaimed, stunned. The five hobbits looked out at the crowd as a table was overturned and screams continued to howl over every other sound. Sam grabbed Rosie by the arm protectively as he pulled her away from the retreating crowd.

"We have to get out of here!" Sam announced as he, Frodo and Rosie made for their homes. Pippin followed but halted, realizing his friend was still frozen with fear behind him. Pippin grabbed Merry's arm and dragged him off through the crowd, following the others closely.

Their feet beat hard on the dirt path as they raced down the road, trying to keep from being run over by the other fleeing hobbits. Pippin suddenly smacked into a pair of tall legs as he looked up at Gandalf in fear.

"Gandalf!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. "She's gone! She's gone!"

"Who is gone?" he asked with deep concern. He looked over at Frodo, Sam and Rosie as tears streaked Rosie's cheeks.

"She's disappeared…" Rosie breathed hard. "She was there, then… she wasn't."

"What has happened?" Gandalf demanded of Frodo. "Where is Buffy?"

"She vanished," Frodo heaved with worry.

Gandalf froze, his eyes set firmly on Frodo's face as he asked gravely, "Like Bilbo did?"

Frodo looked up at him, fear setting into him for a moment, before he replied, "Yes. I-I mean no. It-it wasn't the same." He breathed hard as he continued, "There was red light… and howls… thunder…" The hobbit shook his head, "It was a horror I've never seen."

Gandalf, Sam, Rosie and Pippin looked at Frodo intensely while Merry was still traumatized into a daze. "She's in danger," Frodo declared as he thought to himself. "She's in danger. This I know for sure. I can feel it."

Gandalf stared down at the hobbits as he made a final decision. "Come, we fly," he declared, switching his staff to his other hand. "This shall be repeated before the King."

* * *

Buffy limped through the concrete streets of Sunnydale and gazed around idly and fearfully, still just barely able to see. She felt as if she were watching a horrible movie, as small fires blazed in her path and distant screams were heard over the roar of engines and machinery. _Where am I?_ Buffy thought to herself. _Where am I?_

Nothing smelled right in this world. The air was thick of a foul odor that tried to choke her. _Mordor,_ she realized. _I'm lost in Mordor. How did I get here? _Maybe she had been patrolling on the eastern end of Gondor and had gotten lost. But that didn't make much sense. Nothing looked right.

_I was in the Shire,_ she remembered finally. _Frodo… _She looked around for something, anything that looked like her friends. She looked down at her feet and noted that she was walking on a very long slab of stone that was beginning to hurt her feet. But she wasn't near any mountains.

_The Party Field, _she remembered. _There was a party… my party… Sam, Rosie… Merry, Pippin… Gandalf was there. No, he wasn't… no, he left…_

Thoughts raced through her muddled mind, running together and mixing with random memories that didn't make any sense. Where was she? She could not have been in anything remotely close to the Shire.

_God, that smell… _she observed again and she felt as if she were going to vomit. Another scream let out, this one even nearer to her than the others. She came to an immediate standstill as she stared around at her surroundings, still not being able to make out where she was.

A fire burned close by. It appeared as if a rock were on fire. Buffy walked a few steps closer to the gigantic, shiny, burning boulder and squinted her blurry eyes, trying to make it out. It had glass.

_A rock with glass? _she thought. It was made out of some sort of steel. For the life of her, she could not recognize what was in front of her as it burned freely before her. A loud buzzing sound grated her nerves as she turned quickly to see another, smaller, metal object whizzing past her with a small flame on it. Something that looked similar to a person in shape threw the fiery ball near her and it exploded into a bigger ball of fire as it crashed. The loud vehicle buzzed away as Buffy backed up in fear and watched it go.

* * *

Aragorn stared at Gandalf in frozen silence, his mouth partially agape. Sitting beside him, he could hear his wife let out a shaky breath of fear. Though it had taken days, Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Rosie, Merry and Pippin stood in front of the King's throne inside Minas Tirith, the city of Gondor.

Aragorn could not quite believe his ears. He looked away from the White Wizard, deeply disturbed as his eyes fell upon the ground. Aragorn looked over at Arwen as she made another tiny exhale, her eyes firmly placed on the floor as well.

"We know not of her location at this point," Gandalf explained, "or the devilry that caused her disappearance."

Aragorn's eyes fleeted around the hall as he struggled to find his voice. He finally asked with a fearful voice, "And you are sure that she is gone?"

Frodo nodded with wide eyes of despair as he added, "I do not know where she is, but I know that she is not safe." Aragorn's eyes fell upon him suddenly as Frodo declared, "Before she disappeared, I could feel her emotions. She was afraid. I believe that she still is, wherever she may be."

"You're connected to her somehow?" Aragorn asked.

"Yes," Frodo nodded, "but not for very long." He looked down in sadness, "I'm loosing her."

Merry stared at Frodo as his eyes widened at the statement. He turned to Aragorn and said more words than he had since the moment she vanished. "We have to find her!" he declared.

Gandalf replied softly with his eyes on the ground, "We may already be too late."

"Which is why we must act quickly," he answered, turning to Gandalf.

"He is right," Aragorn announced. They turned to the King as he stood up and declared, "She must be found. Now." He stared at Gandalf, "We cannot abandon her to whatever suffering Frodo believes she may be enduring. We _shall_ not."

"How can this happen?" Sam declared. They turned to him to see him still fixated with wonder and horror. "I mean, one day we find her in the Pelennor Fields without a clue of how she got there. When she wakes up she doesn't remember a thing. Then one day she just vanishes without a trace. How does something like this happen?"

"Sam makes a good point," Rosie declared, nervously adding as their eyes fell upon her. "I-I mean, we don't know how she got here… how are we supposed to find her when she disappears?"

"Why did she come here in the first place?" Pippin asked, and then he looked up at Gandalf. "When we first met her and her friends?"

"She has not mentioned them very much at all," Gandalf answered as he contemplated. "Her friend… Willow… the sorceress… she said that they were performing a spell that went awry somehow."

"We weren't doin' any spells," Sam declared to Gandalf, then Aragorn. "Honest."

"Then how was she taken if not by magic?" Arwen asked.

Frodo thought to himself, then turned to Gandalf, "Is there any other way that—" His sentence was cut off as he stared at Gandalf with concern. "Gandalf?" he repeated, looking up at the wizard.

They turned to him to see the old man in deep contemplation, seemingly slightly disturbed. "What is it, Gandalf?" Pippin asked.

He snapped out of it and looked down at the hobbit, then turned to Aragorn. "King Elessar," he addressed him, "how much are you willing to risk for her return?"

"How could you ask me that?" Aragorn asked of him honestly. He contemplated to himself for several seconds, not able to push Buffy out of his mind to even think clearly. Fear and trepidation set in, until finally the answer was clear to him. "To that I answer that I would sacrifice whatever was required" he calmly declared"because that would also be her reply. She must be found."

"You believe you know of a way to ensure that?" Arwen asked Gandalf in puzzlement.

"I do believe so, my queen," he answered with a look of worry on his face. "But the threat – the danger – is far greater than any menace we can imagine." He turned to Aragorn, "Are you sure you're willing to take that risk?"

"Aye," he nodded, "I am."

"Very well," Gandalf declared, then turned to the others with a deep breath. "Listen closely. Here is my proposal."

* * *

Buffy stood atop the platform that she jumped off of four months before. She gazed down at the town of Sunnydale from Glory's tower, her sight having fully returned to her. She had encountered people in an alley not far from there. Three women and a man who reached out to her, who called her by name, and who she suddenly had an urge to protect from the orc-like monsters that attacked.

The lights sparkled in the darkness of the night as a word for the place finally formed on her lips. "Sunnydale…" she whispered, her brow crinkling as memories poured into her skull:

_'Don't let go…' she remembered Sam's voice in her mind. 'Don't you let go…' _

Buffy ran down the walkway, steadily crossing the platform and as she reached the end she leapt off the edge in a glorious swan dive. She plummeted through the air and disappeared into the swirling cloud portal.

'No!' the familiar voice of a young woman cried out to her.

"Dawnie, I have to," Buffy whispered in reply, as she held her eyes closed tightly.

"Buffy?" a timid voice called from behind her. She opened her eyes and frowned at the sound of the familiar voice. Slowly, she turned to see a young, long-haired, teenage girl standing at the other end of the platform with an amazed expression.

"Buffy," Dawn breathed in wonder. "Buffy… how…" Her sister gazed at her in apprehensive confusion. "Is it you?" Dawn whispered, tears beginning to well in her eyes. "I mean, really?" She took a step towards her baffled sister as the tower suddenly shifted and creaked. Dawn clutched a nearby pole in terror as the tower was once again still.

Dawn looked back up at Buffy to see her turn towards the end of the platform and slowly step towards it. "No!" she called out, and Buffy was still. "Don't!" she desperately cried. Buffy was still as she stared out at the sky, then looked back down at the ground.

"Don't jump, Buffy," Dawn shook her head fearfully. "Just walk to me, please!" No reply came from her as she continued to stare at the ground. "Please?" Dawn pleaded. The tower moaned once more as Dawn apprehensively began, "I'm your sister, Dawn. We were up here once. And then you… you… went away. Please, don't do that again. I need you to be here."

The tower shifted again and Dawn clutched the pole even tighter in terror. "Oh, god," she breathed. "Buffy, this tower was built by crazy people and I don't know how long it's going to hold up."

Buffy continued to stare below her. Dawn gazed at her from behind, "Talk to me!" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she desperately added, "Please… just… say something."

Several moments of silence passed before Buffy finally asked with a small, weak voice, "Is this hell?"

Dawn stared at her in puzzlement, "What?"

Buffy turned around towards her sister with a terrified and crushed expression as she repeated, "Is this hell?"

"No," Dawn shook her head. "No… this is… home." As soon as Buffy heard her reply she became deeply disturbed, struck with fear like a lightning bolt. "You're here, with me," Dawn smiled. "Where ever you were – whatever happened to you – it's over now. You're here to stay."

Buffy swallowed hard with dread as she stared at Dawn at the other end of the walkway. The tower shifted again and creaked threateningly as Dawn let out a scream. "Buffy, please, listen to me!" Dawn shrieked. "We have got to get off this tower!"

"This is home," Buffy declared in despair, not being able to believe it. "This is home…"

"You told me I had to be strong…" Dawn cried, tears now freely falling, "and I've tried. But it's been so hard without you." Buffy wasn't looking at her anymore; she was looking at the ground again. "I'm sorry," Dawn sobbed. "I'll do better, I promise! If you're with me… Stay with me, please. I need you with me. I need you to live. Live." Her words rang in Buffy's mind with haunting familiarity, "For me."

Buffy could hear no other sound but those words echoing in her mind. Slowly, she turned around to see Dawn's face as suddenly she remembered. She remembered where she was. She remembered where she went. And now, she could not forget what she had.

"Buffy!" Dawn screamed as the tower trembled again with ferocity and Dawn crouched down. A piece of the tower broke loose and fell down, smacking the concrete hard.

Buffy spun around towards her sister with wide eyes, "Dawn!" She bolted across the walkway and grabbed her sister, pulling her back on her feet as they ran onto the stairs in the body of the tower. They raced down a single flight with many more to go as Buffy's eyes quickly searched around. She spotted a pulley nearby with a rope going through it.

With a giant leap, Buffy jumped off the tower with Dawn's hand in her grip as she grabbed onto the rope with her other hand. They fell towards the ground as Dawn screamed in terror and they finally came to a stop. The rope burned more skin off of Buffy's palm as she looked down at the ground, still a great distance away from them.

The rope suddenly gave way and they plummeted to the ground, landing hard on their feet. Buffy gazed up at the air as the giant tower began to break apart and fall to pieces; the huge platform broke loose and raced towards them.

Buffy pushed herself off of the ground, still holding on to Dawn, and both of them rushed out of the way of the walkway as it crashed on the spot where they landed. Buffy and Dawn ran away from the tower as it collapsed, crumbling to a pile of metal rubble as it rumbled and roared.

The girls finally stopped running when they were clear of the construction site and they rested against a chain-link fence. Both of them panted hard as Dawn turned to her sister, "Buffy…?"

Buffy looked over at her tensely as Dawn suddenly threw her arms around her sister and cried over joyously, "It's really you. You're really here. You're here with me. Everything's going to be okay now." Trepidation and tension set into Buffy's green eyes as she heard Dawn declare, "You're home."


	5. There Goes My Hero

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**5. There Goes My Hero: **

**Sunnydale, California: 18 Months Later**

Buffy marched angrily out of Sunnydale High School Principal Robin Wood's garage as the words that she had just said to him rang in her mind:

_'The mission is what matters.'_

_The mission._ What kind of mission was she on anymore? Where in the hell was she going? That was the same question that she had been asking herself since the day she saw Willow, Tara, Anya and Xander in the alleyway that October night over a year ago. The same question she asked herself when Dawn led her to her house and cleaned up her bloodied hands that she had obtained from digging out of her own grave.

Willow was the one that made the spell work. Good 'ol Willow. Hadn't the slightest idea that maybe – just maybe – Buffy might have been better off where she was. Buffy couldn't blame her directly, though, not anymore than the other three.

They missed her. They needed her. They didn't want to let her go. Now, each of them understood that that idea might have tainting their thought process, so the night Willow said to each of them that they were going to bring Buffy back, no one disagreed.

They told no one, of course. Not Giles, not Dawn, not even Spike who spent the whole summer guarding Dawn by day and helping the others slay vampires by night. The thought of Giles and Spike fighting side by side killing vampires made her blood turn even colder.

_Giles,_ Buffy thought. _Always loyal Giles._ It wasn't even two months after Buffy came back that Giles jumped on a plane to England. She remembered how abandoned she felt when he left, just adding to how crushed she was. That was the night that Tara left Willow because Willow had cast a spell to erase everyone's memory after promising Tara that she wouldn't use anymore magic and claiming that she was in no way addicted to it like Tara suspected.

_That was a hard night,_ Buffy remembered. _Willow was only trying to help._ They'd found out that Buffy had been in Heaven all along after a sing-and-dance-athon where Buffy narrowly escaped the flames of dance fever. For a little while, though, Buffy had forgotten all about her trauma and pain. But then like everything, it came back, and Buffy and Willow realized that not all pain can be taken away with magic.

Or with pleasure.

_Spike,_ she remembered. Ever since the night she found out that Spike was 'in love' with her, before she had died, she never believed him. He was a creature without a soul. He could never understand what love was. The day she came back, Spike still had the same feelings for her, but Buffy had a new, gloomy outlook on life.

Spike had manipulated her into believing that she was as dirty as he and she slept with him. Part of her knew that it was just as much her fault for being fooled as it was Spike's fault. What was completely her fault was the fact that she continued to sleep with him every time something went wrong in her day, then she'd kick him out like the dirty dog that she saw him to be. And he let her do that, too. After all, he was, for the most part, getting what he wanted. The only thing that she would not do is say that she loved him. That was the one truth that she saw and acknowledged in her relationship. And to that day, she still hasn't said those words. The day she finally said goodbye to Spike, not long after she'd said goodbye to her ex-boyfriend Riley and his new wife, she thought that her life was finally going to get easier.

She thought wrong. Xander and Anya's marriage never happened. He left her at the altar after he realized that it was wrong and what does Anya do? She ditches mortality and reverts to her Vengeance demon ways the first chance she gets. Meanwhile, Dawn went on a kleptomaniac spree for love and affection, which added to the debt that they had to pay. Willow finally did let go of magic, and about the time that she and Tara were about to hook up again, they find Anya and Spike having sex on a table in the Magic Box.

Xander, needless to say, was royally pissed. He went down there with axe in hand, ready to kill Spike once and for all. Buffy couldn't let that happen, despite herself. After she saved his skin, Spike revealed to Xander and Anya the big secret: that Buffy had been sleeping with Spike for the past several months.

This only added insult to Xander's injury and he wouldn't even let Buffy speak. He spent the next several days drowning away his despair in Mr. Jack Daniels. After the secret had been revealed, an also drunken Spike went down to Buffy's house to apologize. She didn't want to hear anything he had to say and before she could understand what was happening, Spike crossed the thickest line of his life. He tried to rape Buffy.

It wasn't premeditated; it wasn't planned to any extent. But it crushed Buffy all the same. She was able to stop him of course, and she didn't kill him, but Spike ran off wishing that she did. Buffy quickly pushed those traumatizing memories out of her mind.

To add to all of this chaos, there was a _tiny _bad that ended up affecting their lives in a big way. Warren Meers, Jonathan Levinson, and Andrew Tucker formed the in-famous Nerd Trio that was for some reason still unknown to Buffy, hell-bent on destroying her. After Spike's incident in her bathroom, Buffy was angry and ready to take them down for good, but it was Warren that got away. Now, she wished more than anything that she hadn't waited to find him.

Instead, Warren found her after Buffy and Xander forgave each other. Warren shot Buffy in the chest, injuring her, but unknowingly shot Tara in the heart, killing her right in front of Willow. There are no words for the rage that Willow felt, or for the destruction that came afterwards. Willow went full-on magic, turning into something darker and more evil than most of the things that Buffy had faced. She flayed Warren alive and then went after Jonathan and Andrew, eventually trying to destroy the world before Xander found her and told her how much he loved her despite everything. Willow broke down and the world didn't end, much to Buffy's relief.

For the first time since she'd come back, she felt like things were truly going to be better. And they had, for the most part. Willow was no longer addicted to magic, but because of what she did, it was now a part of her. Xander was a successful man in the construction business, though he was not reunited with Anya. She played the Vengeance demon role for a while, but realized that after being mortal for as long as she had been, she could no longer do that. She became a mortal again and had been spending the rest of the year trying to find herself.

Dawn was doing significantly better in school and no longer stole everything she could get her hands on. Her relationship with Buffy had much improved as Buffy took her under her wing and was teaching her the skills of the Slayer trade.

Spike was another story. While Willow was off trying to destroy the world, Spike had done something Buffy in her wildest dreams could never have expected him to do. He went through a painful, dangerous trial and earned his soul. Now there were two vampires with souls in the world, however, this was something that had kind of been… neglected when talking to that _other_ vampire with a soul.

He spent several months in the Sunnydale High School basement, loosing his mind while a minion of evil whispered dirty nothings in his ear constantly. _Not a minion of evil,_ Buffy corrected herself. _Evil, itself. _That was the Big Bad. The First Evil. The thing that made every other foe that she has faced possible. The First is an incorporeal being that can look and sound like any dead person it wants to. It wants to raise an army to take over the world and become corporeal. It's the same thing that four years ago had tried to convince Angel to kill himself after he had come back from hell.

So far, it had been successful in its game plan: Get assassins, called Bringers, to kill girls that might one day be called to be the Slayer, called Potentials, and slowly eliminate the Slayer line.

It tried to get Spike to become a killer, but he fought it and regained his sanity. Now no one's really sure where he stands, but Buffy believed in her heart that he could be a good man. But some people… like Robin Wood and Giles… didn't really agree with her.

Giles had figured out what was going on shortly after the Watchers Council had been destroyed and spent his time gathering Potential Slayers and brought them to Sunnydale. About thirty girls from all over the world were now living in Buffy's house, and only twenty of them spoke English. They had been training them for the upcoming battle, but it had been very hard. They were inexperienced fighters who were weak and nothing more than children in Buffy's eyes. But Giles was so sure that they could be trained.

Just like Giles was so sure that Spike was and always would be a killer. Robin Wood, the Principal and Buffy's boss, believed just that. He was the thirty-year-old son of a Slayer who Spike killed in the 1970s, Nikki Wood. Robin and Giles plotted killing Spike while Buffy had her back turned, deliberately betraying her. Giles was going to take Buffy out patrolling while Spike was locked in Robin's garage for him to finally take out his anger.

The plan didn't work. Spike nearly killed Robin, but let him live because he had killed his mom. Buffy showed up just as Spike was strolling away and told Robin that she didn't have time for his vendettas. The mission is what mattered.

But was all of her pain worth the mission? The world had changed since the day Buffy came back to life. And so had Buffy.

She stomped up the steps to her house and entered to see the foyer littered with sleeping bags as it always was. She marched up the stairs and heard footsteps behind her. When she reached the top, she looked down to see Giles following her.

_He should have stayed in England,_ she thought, fuming with rage.

"What happened?" Giles asked.

"I got there just as it was ending," Buffy declared as she swallowed hard.

Giles's face softened with compassion, making Buffy even angrier, "I'm sorry, Buffy. You know this is how it is supposed—"

"Spike's alive," Buffy cut him off as she glared at him. "Wood failed." Giles stared at her in surprise as Buffy turned away and walked towards her room.

"This doesn't change anything," he sternly answered. "What I said before—"

"Means nothing to me still," Buffy declared as she turned towards him. He looked at her as if she'd slapped him as she slowly shut her bedroom door on his face, adding, "You know, I think you've taught me everything I need to know."

The door slammed with finality.

* * *

Car horns honked noisily and a cold wind blew through a dark, damp alley in the middle of the night. A thick rat scrambled through old garbage as its tiny nose twitched with alarm. A low rumble shook the ground. The rat suddenly scurried away in fear. 

Lightning flashed as a ball of white light opened in the middle of the alley beside a dumpster. A fierce wind blew hard as a swirling disc of glowing, bluish-white clouds appeared in the alleyway and seven people emerged from the light.

First Aragorn. Then Legolas and Gimli. Then the hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin.

The New Fellowship emerged from the portal as it closed behind them, and they gazed around their new world.

_...Message From The Author..._

_Like it so far? Please review._


	6. Other Side

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**6. Other Side**

The seven members of the New Fellowship stood back-to-back with their weapons at the ready as they gazed at their strange location. At first, most of them felt as if they couldn't breathe; the pollution of the city around them was vastly unfamiliar to their air passages. The light of the moon shined down on them as more horns continued to honk and a police siren wailed in the distance.

"Merry," Pippin whispered, finally breaking their tense silence.

"What?" he responded, irritated.

"Are we in the right place?" he asked.

Merry answered hastily, "How should I know?" He continued to stare around for several more moments, and then he added, "I don't see Buffy around."

"Merry," Pippin whispered again.

"What?" he replied in frustration.

The hobbit asked, "Do you think we'll find food?"

Sam leaned over to Frodo and whispered warily, "I've got a bad feeling about this, Mr. Frodo. I feel like we shouldn't be here."

"That's because we shouldn't," Frodo answered calmly. "But here we are. She must be found."

"I'm with you there, Mr. Frodo," Sam nodded anxiously.

"I mean not to cause worry, Aragorn," Gimli began, gazing around intently as he held his ax firmly in his hands, "but how do we know we are even in the right place?"

"Gandalf's spell was to lead us to the Slayer," Aragorn announced as his eyes gazed down the alleyway suspiciously, "wherever she may be."

"So… we're in Sunnydale?" Sam asked curiously. "This doesn't look much like the place Buffy talked about. Not that she did much talking."

"She was rather laconic when describing her home," Frodo observed. "She never said much about it."

Aragorn looked down in the palm of his hand to view a small, white, lacquered, non-translucent crystal and he closed his fist tightly around it, securing it in a leather pouch connected to his belt. Seeing Aragorn do this, the others repeated the same step with their crystals and their leather pouches. "Search for something that resembles a tomb or graveyard," Aragorn ordered, after he put his sword, Anduril, back in its sheath. "Lots of people, bright lights, graveyards—"

"Vampires," Legolas announced, his sharp, blue eyes fixated on the threat heading towards them. The King turned around and faced the group of seven to ten vampires swaggering down the alleyway towards them.

"Well, well, well," a tall, pale-skinned vampire in his reptilian-like vampface dressed in a simple man's garb declared as he strolled towards the group. The New Fellowship bunched together tightly as Aragorn's blue eyes burned into the yellow eyes of the demons in front. "Look at this, boys," the vampire leader said to his gang member friends. "Looks like we missed the costume party."

The other vampires grinned and laughed as they circled the New Fellowship. "Tell me what it's gonna be," the vampire leader smiled, revealing his jagged, twisted fangs. "Trick… or treat?"

Gimli stepped towards the vamp leader with fire in his eyes as he raised his ax, "Let me have him!"

Aragorn reached out and pulled Gimli back suddenly by the shoulders. His eyes came up and rested upon the vampire leader in a stately manner as he declared firmly, "We seek no confrontation here."

A second, beefy-looking vampire declared as he turned to the vampire leader, "Hey, Riff, I think we got us some foreigners."

Riff continued to glare at Aragorn, the two of them not breaking eye-contact as he responded, "I think you're right." His eyes fell upon the four hobbits, looking as defenseless and timid as ever, which made the vampire even hungrier. "You boys not from around here," Riff added, "so why don't I break it down for you. This here is _my_ turf. I run it. This is _our_ city now."

Aragorn looked from Riff back to the other vampires for a moment, scoping out their hungry, snarling faces. He turned back to the leader and replied, "If we are truly on your territory, we mean no intrusion. We wish only to find one of our own and return as quickly as we arrived." Aragorn nobly reasoned, "Let us proceed with no ill will and we shall leave your city at once."

"What's this about 'one of your own'?" Riff asked defensively. "Who you lookin' for?"

"The Slayer," Pippin announced quickly as the others in the Fellowship turned to him and shot him discontented looks. He blushed, suddenly realizing his error and looked away as the vampires suddenly looked very nervous.

"The Slayer!" they exclaimed, all of them whispering to each other. The beefy vampire turned to Riff, "Hey… maybe, uh… maybe we should let these guys go. They're leavin' anyhow—"

"No," Riff declared angrily. "That bitch is with Angelus!" The mood of the other vampires suddenly shifted as this realization came over them. "Come on, boys," Riff yelled. "Let's give these circus freaks a welcoming party!"

In a flash, the New Fellowship ripped out their weapons and held them at bay with the point of their swords, arrows or axes. The vampire gang froze instantly as they stared at the end of their weapons, jaws agape. The vamps looked at each other, then turned back to the Fellowship who glared at them, ready for battle.

One short vampire in the back ran away. The others quickly clashed with the Fellowship. Legolas let a wooden arrow fly and shot the heart of a vamp, dusting him in seconds. Frodo and the other hobbits, with their short swords, slashed at the legs of the vampires as they rushed through the crowd, staying tightly together.

Aragorn slashed a vampire across the chest and cut a limb off of another, then was swiftly punched in the jaw and knocked to the ground by Riff. Merry was kicked by one of the vampires and lifted off of his feet. The fearful hobbit looked up at the vampire who tightly held him, until the vamp's face contorted suddenly with pain. Pippin had stabbed the vampire in the back with his sword. Merry, still held at eye-level, brought his sword up and cut off the vampire's head swiftly and he collapsed to the ground in a pile of dust.

With a mighty war cry, Gimli raced through the legs of the vampires and tackled one to the ground, vivaciously shouting as he drove one of his axes into the vampire's neck, dusting him. Gimli pulled out his ax as the vampire exploded into dust, and he declared, "That'll teach you to counter a dwarf!" An arrow suddenly whizzed inches over his head and impaled an approaching vampire in the heart. Gimli turned to see the vampire go to dust and then turned back around to see Legolas standing proudly nearby.

"That's two," he announced.

Gimli stared at him speechlessly, "Well, I… But you…" He finally growled at the challenge, "You beastly elf! I'll show you how it's done!" Gimli drew his favorite ax and the both of them went to work.

Aragorn was swiftly punched in the jaw by Riff, who then jumped up, spun around and kicked him in the ribs. The King was knocked down, his sword falling from his hand. The vampire closed in and Aragorn kicked him away while still on the ground as another vampire approached him with a baseball bat in hand. He rolled over onto his chest, his hand finding his sword, then he leapt back onto his feet and ducked beneath the swing of the bat. Aragorn straightened up and sliced off the head of his vampire foe, the baseball bat falling freely through the dust cloud and landing into the King's free hand.

He swiftly spun around towards another angry oncoming vampire, this one missing a hand from before, and Aragorn dropped Anduril and gripped the wooden bat with both hands, swinging at the head of the vamp as hard as he could. As the bat collided with the skull of the vampire, it exploded into a mass of wooden splintered which meshed with the cloud of dust from the vampire's crushed and decapitated head.

As Buffy would've put it – Aragorn: 2, Vampires: 0

Frodo looked up at his new opponent with wide eyes – the big, beefy vampire lackey, second in command to Riff. The vampire swung his arm at Frodo as the Halfling quickly zoomed under it. The Vampire of Beef swung again, but Frodo was far too fast for his slow attempts until he finally was able to smack the hobbit into the nearby brick wall. Frodo's back hit the bricks hard as he crashed to the cement ground in pain.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam shouted from nearby. The hobbit rushed in and began to swing his short sword at the vamp, only nicking him a couple of times. After Merry and Pippin dusted another vampire, they turned to see Frodo and Sam in peril and rendered their aid. The other two hobbits joined up and tried to slice at the demon as well, but made just about as much headway as Sam.

On the ground, Frodo was able to see past the vampire's thick, tree trunk-like legs to view a wooden crate behind him. "Everyone," Frodo ordered, coming to a stand, "push at once!" The hobbits stood up as all four of them kicked simultaneously, sending the monster backwards and crashing down into the wooden crate. The vampire fell back on the wood, a piece impaling him through the chest and him dusted seconds later.

Gimli threw his ax across the alley, slicing the head off a vampire that he'd spent much time trying to track down up until that point. "That's three!" Gimli shouted, turning back to Legolas. The elf easily fired another arrow, which shot completely through the heart of a vampire and penetrated the chest of the vampire directly behind him. Both exploded in a cloud of dust as Legolas replied to his dwarf friend, "That's four."

An inhuman roar let out as Aragorn looked up to see a vampire flying through the air at him, coming in fast at least a dozen feet away. He threw the half-bat at the vamp and the demon caught it in the heart and exploded in midair, the dust drifting peacefully to the ground.

Riff approached the now weaponless Aragorn from behind, running at him full-force. The man glanced down at his sword near his foot, kicked it up in the air by its hilt, and caught it in his hands. Aragorn slashed across the neck of the speeding vampire, cutting off the head mercilessly and swiftly.

As Riff's dust fell to the ground, the New Fellowship made eye-contact with each other and then they glared at the last remaining vampire. The vamp stared back at them like a deer in the headlights, before skittering off into the darkness.

"Legolas," Aragorn said, and that was all that was needed. Legolas raised his bow and arrow and was able to spot the fleeing vampire with his razor-sharp eyesight. An ax whizzed through the air past Legolas and decapitated the running vampire, beating the elf's arrows to it.

Irritated, Legolas glanced over at Gimli who grinned back at him, proudly declaring, "Four."

"Are you all alright?" Aragorn asked, placing his sword back in its sheath and walking towards the hobbits.

They nodded with heaving chests as the nervously tried to catch their breaths. "So I guess we really are in Sunnydale," Pippin declared, turning to Merry.

"We are not in Sunnydale," Legolas announced suddenly. They turned to the elf who stood facing them at the other end of the alley with his bow still in hand. Behind him, a gigantic, glowing sign, glittering with blinking lights that spelled out words screamed at them with pride:  
WELCOME TO FABULOUS LOS ANGELES!

He added intensely, "We are in Los Angeles."

* * *

With a mighty smack, Connor caught a jarring punch with his jaw, delivered by none other than Faith the Vampire Slayer. They continued to tussle in the basement of the Hyperion Hotel as an unconscious Angel, still battling his alter-ego Angelus in a coma, lay locked in a metal cage a few feet away, while Charles Gunn, knocked out by Connor, lay unconscious on the floor. The green-skinned, red-horned demon Krevlorneswath, or simply Lorne for short, rushed into the basement and stood atop the stairs, looking down at Faith, now awake from her second coma.

Lorne's eyes were glued in awe to the Slayer, as the gently-beautiful Winifred Burkle and the ruggedly-handsome Wesley Wyndham-Pryce entered in the room behind him. "She's alive!" Lorne exclaimed, clad in his rather bold navy blue suit and light blue shirt with a big, light blue collar – the normal style for him. "It's a miracle!"

Faith, a medium-sized, athletically buff, beautiful young woman of twenty-five with wavy, dark hair and pale white skin, clad in a black pair of jeans and a black tank top revealing her thorn tattoo that circled her upper arm, squared off with her opponent. Connor was a small-framed, yet muscular teenage boy of eighteen with smooth, straight brown hair and dark eyes that could penetrate through any soul, that glowed with a mixture of menace and pain.

Faith swiftly kicked Connor in the ribs, then jabbed him in the face. He countered quickly, not being without supernatural strength of his own, and gave her a devastating blow to the face, before grabbing her by the arm and tossing her against the steel bars. Her face twisted with pain as her spine smacked against the metal, but then she grabbed the bars and kicked her legs up, both of them connecting with his chest.

Connor flew backwards and crashed into the brick wall, knocking some pieces of brick with him as he dropped to his knees. She approached him and tried twice to kick him, but he blocked both kicks before getting back on his feet. He punched her again in the face and she pulled off a spinning kick to his cheek. Connor again tried to hook her with his fist, but she caught it just in time and returned to quick jabs to the face, then grabbed his arm and threw him against the steel cage, his back connecting with the bars harshly.

Before Connor could charge at the Slayer again, he was pulled back against the cage, being held at the shoulders by his father. "It's okay, Connor," Angel declared nervously, his soul newly restored. The vampire with a soul breathed a sigh of relief as he added, "It's me. Really." Connor didn't look at his father, but had an expression of shock as Angel added, "It's all over."

* * *

Bruised and tired Faith leaned against the railing that looked out at the moonlit garden outside of the Angel Investigations headquarters. She breathed in the air calmly, finally having a few moments of peace after her jailbreak. Angel, wearing a dark, button-up shirt as he always did, walked out of the Hyperion and joined Faith on the rail outside.

"Hey," Angel acknowledged. "How are you feeling?"

Faith smiled, then it faded as she replied with a sigh, "Like I did mushrooms and got eaten by a bear."

"Guess that about sums it up," Angel nodded, sharing her emotions. "And now you're going to Sunnydale?"

"I prefer the bear," Faith nodded coolly with her deep voice that still possessed slight remnants of her hometown of Boston, "but the way Willow's talking it up, that's where I'm needed."

"Never stop fighting," Angel replied in a near-monotonous tone as he nodded.

"Hey, I was gonna," Faith replied, "but someone had to get all pep talky on me." She gave Angel a look as he returned the gesture with a knowing half-smile.

"Sorry I didn't really get a chance to see you," Angel answered. "Apart from our little brain tour, at least."

"Another time, maybe?" Faith grinned.

"I've got a lot to thank you for," Angel nodded.

"Well," she shrugged, "consider that vice a versa, too. But… if I start… then that'll lead to sappy, then sickening, then the next thing you know, we'll be hugging and—"

"And we can't have that," Angel nodded knowingly with a smile.

"Nope," Faith replied with a smirk as the two old friends walked side-by-side back into the Hyperion to see Connor plopped down in a chair with his head down as the tall, bald-headed, dark-skinned, twenty-seven-year-old Gunn stood in front of him with his arms crossed in a reprimanding manner.

"Okay, I get it," Connor rolled his eyes at Gunn, not sounding so sorry. "I messed up."

"Hey, cheer up, punk," Faith declared with good nature. "That just makes you one of us."

"You headed out?" Gunn asked her.

"No tears big guy," Faith responded, clapping his hand with her own.

"Nah, I just wish I could've seen you kicking the crap out of junior, here," Gunn answered, staring down at Connor.

"It was pretty funny," she nodded with a smile, then with a more solemn expression, she turned to Wesley. "Wes," she said, staring at the tall, ruggedly-dressed man with short blonde hair and blonde stubble on his face.

The former Watcher's bluish eyes rested upon her face as he put their years of differences and betrayals behind him, declaring with a semi-British accent, "Faith."

"See, Brits know how to say goodbye," Faith answered. "Angel here wanted a hug."

"No, I didn't," he toughly denied. They turned towards Angel's office to see two women walk out, one of them talking a mile a minute in a Texan accent.

"I think that volume's outdated," Fred declared as she and Willow Rosenberg walked side-by-side, Willow holding a thick book. "You'd know better than me," Fred added, absolutely adoring this brainy new friend. "But there's some interesting stuff about the Hellmouth that might come in handy."

"Thanks," Willow beamed, her red hair falling to her shoulders, "this is great."

The brunette beauty stared at her with an over joyous expression as she excitedly continued, "One day, I'd love to bend your ear about the Pergamum Codex. I-I think some of the really obscure passages are actually Latin translated from a demonic tongue, and they're kind of a hoot." She burst into girlish giggling, "All this stuff about Bacchanals and spells and…actually, I think it's probably funnier in Latin. You know how that is sometimes."

"I'm seeing someone," Willow blurted out, finally relieving the tension. Fred blinked at her with a baffled expression as Willow nervously turned towards Faith, who shared the same confused expression. "Okay… good… wagons west."

Angel looked over at Willow and took many moments staring at her, trying to find words that he wasn't exactly known for saying. He weakly and shyly began, "Willow…"

"He's going to try and thank you," Faith cut in, turning to Willow with a smile.

"Oh, no problem," she shrugged with a bright smile. "Hey, I got a Slayer out of the deal, so we're even-steven." Willow looked up at Angel warmly as they shared a moment.

It was still so unreal to Angel that she was here again when he needed her the most. The last time she'd come to Los Angeles was to tell him that Buffy had died a year and a half ago. And that day she had come back to re-insoul Angel, the first spell she'd ever learned and pulled off successfully five years ago. Much had happened to both of them since then.

A few moments later, Willow stretched out her arm to her brother and Angel wrapped her skinny body in his own arms and they shared a tight and grateful hug. "I'll tell Buffy you said 'hi,'" Willow declared, as they both released each other.

"Good," Angel slowly breathed in a bit – a "breathless" breath, being the vampire that he was. Just the sound of her name caused a sting in his heart, a pain that he will always have for the true love of his life, no matter who he might have feelings for – or who might reject him. "Thanks," he added heartedly, but with the realization that he was no longer the biggest thing in her life, nor was she in his.

Willow and Faith turned and began up the stairs out of the lobby and towards the door, but Willow suddenly stopped and turned back to Angel and the rest of the Fang Gang: Fred, Gunn, Connor, Lorne and Wesley. "Oh, and, um," she meekly and politely began, "next time you try to resurrect Angelus… call me first. 'Kay?"

With a glittering smile, Willow marched out of the doorway and into the garden with Faith in pursuit and they disappeared from their sight. Angel and the others watched them go for a few seconds, and then Angel turned to his army with a mellow tone.

"So… we're back," Angel declared, looking at the floor. Much pain and blood had been spilled between them and the 'team' had seemed less and less like a team as time went by.

"It would seem," Wesley answered skeptically.

"Look," Angel began compassionately. "I know things have been… pretty bleak. Things were said that shouldn't have been said. It's looked very much like the world was going to end." His dark eyes raised and looked at each of his friends, even his spiteful son, "But it didn't. It hasn't yet and it won't. Not if we work together and stay together." Angel raised the volume of his voice a bit and a little more emotion could be heard in his pitch, "We've all made… sacrifices." Angel said the last word with a bit of bitterness as his eyes fell upon Connor, who looked away from his father once more. "But that's what we do. That's what being a Champion is all about."

Angel breathed confidently as he began to pace a bit, "Things are going to change. There will always be sacrifice…" he looked over at Gunn, "and there will always be loss." Angel turned to Wesley at that last comment as he added with a positive tone, "But whatever's coming, I know we can handle it." Angel turned around and glanced at the glass door that Willow and Faith had walked out of. The glass had been shattered and it was shrewdly held together by boards, nails and duct tape. "There's nothing outside that door that we haven't seen—"

His words were suddenly cut off as Faith burst through the door, holding two short men who kicked and punched in anger, one in each hand, as two other small men beat at her legs.

"Let them go!" Merry shouted.

"Let go!" Pippin angrily hissed, and then turned around towards the door and shouted, "Aragorn! Aragorn, help!"

Lorne turned to Angel who had a shocked expression plastered on his face – an expression not easy to force him into. "What was that you were saying about there not being anything we haven't seen before?" he declared.

"Man," Gunn declared, turning to Angel, "you do realize whatever happens next is all your fault for saying that?"

"I caught these little punks listening in on the conversation," Faith declared, grasping the hobbits with all her might.

"Do you suspect they're spies?" Wesley asked.

"Wolfram Hart," Fred declared in shock. "How could they… I mean, they were slaughtered by the Beast, right?"

"What, are they trying to compensate by recruiting the little people population?" Lorne shrugged. "They're clearly not half the law firm they used to be." The team turned to him, giving him blank stares. "What? I'm tired, give me a break."

"Well, aren't you the Jolly Green Giant," Faith replied, "but can someone give me a hand with these little brats?"

A second later, the door burst open again as Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli entered. In a flash, Gimli whipped out his ax and Legolas aimed his bow and arrows directly at them, Aragorn being the last to pull out his sword. The gang looked at the strange clothing and the even stranger people.

"That's just insane," said Angel, monotone and dumbfounded.

Merry and Pippin finally jumped on Faith's back, the four hobbits all bringing her down to the ground. Aragorn bitterly ordered as he glared at Angel, "Ndengina sen." _Kill them._ Aragorn charged first, Legolas and Gimli leading after them.

"Angel!" Wesley shouted as he tossed Angel his 'favorite' broad sword. Angel grasped the hilt and then turned around and blocked Aragorn's first blow. Connor hopped up and rushed out of the way of confrontation before he could be seen, and then was miraculously able to hit Legolas in the back of the head. The elf dropped his bow on the floor as he landed on his stomach. Legolas rolled over and looked up at his attacker in amazement, then jumped up and ducked out of the way of Connor's next swing.

"Watch out!" Gunn shouted, shoving Fred out of the way of a flying ax that whizzed by their heads. Lorne also ducked out of the way as the three of them jumped behind the front desk of the lobby, Gimli's axes coming at them from seemingly every direction.

Wesley outstretched his arm and flexed his wrist, triggering his collapsible sword to mount itself on his hand. He joined Angel, who seemed to have a hard time of his own trying to fend off Aragorn's swift swings. Wesley countered Aragorn on the left as Angel fought him on the right, and now Aragorn was having trouble keeping both off at the same time.

"Get off of me!" Faith hissed, as she rolled around on the floor with the hobbits punching, clawing and biting at her.

Aragorn pushed Wesley's sword away and then clashed with Angel's sword. He ducked as both of his opponent's swords made a move for his neck. As Aragorn straightened out, he received a near-devastating right hook from Wesley, and figured out by now that this was how all vampires fought. Aragorn spun around and side-kicked Wesley in his chest, but then he felt the sting of Angel's sword slicing across his back.

He called out in pain and faced Angel once again, slashing across his chest. As if on reflex, Angel jabbed Aragorn in the face, knocking him down. Angel stepped back, clutching his wound and staring down at the dripping blood. His eyes rose and met with Aragorn's who was now back on his feet. With a deadly glare, Angel vamped out, revealing his inner demon once more.

Angel raised his sword, holding it back as Aragorn did the same, and the two giants rushed each other and clashed mightily. They glared at each other as their swords were still and connected at the blades.

Legolas ducked and flipped around, being just a bit too fast for Connor as the elf suddenly landed a punch in Connor's jaw, knocking him back a few feet. He was pushed against the wall and looked up to see Legolas already aiming at him. An arrow shot through the air.

"Stop!" Willow shouted and the arrow froze in mid-air. The fight stopped and every head turned towards Willow, standing in the door, panting like mad. "Everyone stop!" she ordered.

Pippin looked up at the young woman and declared giddily, "Willow!"

Willow's expression changed suddenly as she stared at Pippin's face, then at Merry, then at Frodo's and finally at Sam's face. "Oh…" Willow breathed, then exclaimed with excitement, "It is you guys!"

The hobbits stood up as Merry and Pippin ran for Willow and wrapped their arms around her waist. Sam and Frodo rushed over, though not as excitedly, as Willow bent down and hugged them all tightly.

"A'maelamin Istar," _My beloved wizard,_ Legolas warmly grinned as he stared at Willow.

"Legolas," Willow elated replied, as she let go of the hobbits and rushed over to hug him tightly.

"I am grateful to find such a friend on this dangerous path," Gimli declared, looking up at Willow as they stood next to Legolas. Fred, Gunn and Lorne poked their heads out from behind the front desk with confused faces.

Willow bent down and hugged the dwarf who blushed shyly. She straightened up and her eyes searched the room, "Where's… Aragorn?" Aragorn and Angel continued to stare at each other, each grimacing as they held their blades together, each pushing towards the other.

"You know this guy, Will?" Angel asked through gritted teeth.

"Hey!" Willow exclaimed. "Stop it, you guys! It's okay."

"I shall not cease first," Aragorn replied.

"Don't count on me flinching," Angel answered as he continued to glare at the King. Legolas raised his arrow as Gimli pulled his axe back out.

"Wait, no, stop!" Willow breathed nervously. "You guys, it-it's okay—"

"Willow, who are these people?" Fred asked as she stared around, lost.

"They must be demons," Connor spat as he glared at Legolas angrily.

Gimli looked up at him, "We are of no such sort, lad!"

Legolas gazed at Connor intensely with his piercing, blue eyes as he softly replied, "You do not speak of demons as if you are one. You are not demon, yet you are not man."

"Story of my life," Connor crassly answered with a twisted grin.

"Narsil," Angel declared, staring down at Aragorn's sword. The King's expression suddenly changed and relaxed as both of them let off their force together.

"What do you know of Isildur's Bane?" he asked, puzzled.

"Not much," Angel shook his head. "But I've used that sword before… or… something that looks a whole lot like it."

"This is Anduril," Aragorn announced as he glanced at the sword, then fixed his gaze cautiously on Angel. "The Sword of the King. Remade from the shards of Narsil."

"Well, it sure wasn't broken when I was fighting Tall, Dark and Scary," Angel commented as he shifted his position, lowering his sword. "Sour-Ron." The moods of the Fellowship suddenly turned grim.

"Sauron?" Frodo repeated, deeply unnerved. "The Dark Lord?"

"You fought the Dark Lord?" Merry asked, staring at Angel in wonder.

"Big guy?" Angel asked. "Black armor? Six fingers? Superiority complex?" Aragorn nodded and he replied, "Yep. I fought him."

"Wait a sec," Faith shook her head as she came to her feet. She looked around at the strangers with her dark eyes and asked roughly, "What's this about a Dark Lord?"

"It has been over two years since the Dark Lord was defeated at Mordor," Aragorn announced. "The forces of Gondor, joined by the Riders of the Rohirrim and the forces of Rohan, launched an attack on the Army of Sauron at the Black Gates, distracting Sauron's eye from Mount Doom until Frodo and Sam could finished their mission."

"Which was?" Gunn asked, shaking his head with his arms crossed.

"To destroy the One Ring of Power," Frodo's small voice answered, as the gang turned towards him, catching the hint of despair in his eyes. Angel stared at him in silence as Frodo's eyes fell to the ground, lost in guilt and longing for peace.

"Okay," Gunn nodded his head slowly. "Now I'm just gonna go ahead and assume you're from another dimension, because I don't remember catching that in the _L.A. Times_."

"They're from Middle Earth," Willow declared brightly.

"Middle Earth?" Wesley repeated, thinking to himself. "The dimension the French sorcerer Cloutier spoke of?"

"The very one," Willow nodded.

"Eh, that's nice," Lorne stepped in, concentrating his attention on Aragorn and the others, "now, let's go back to that part about a Dark Lord and great wars and a Ring of Power…"

"The Ring belonged to Sauron," Aragorn elaborated. "He had tried to use it to rule the world, but it had found its way to the Shire."

"They eventually made their way to this beautiful place called Rivendell," Willow remembered dreamily, then said to the others, "that's about the point where me, Buffy, Xander and Spike came in."

"Whoa, rewind," Faith let out a laugh. "You sayin' B and the Scoobies went on a cruise to their place?"

"Willow, the Slayer, and her friends joined us at the Council of Elrond," Aragorn answered, "and the thirteen of us formed the Fellowship of the Ring. We were to journey on to Mordor to destroy the Ring of Power… before it destroyed us." At that last part, Aragorn glanced over at Frodo for a split second before turning back to Angel.

"Before we got there, the portal between our dimension and theirs opened back up," Willow declared.

"Oh, I get it now," Fred declared with a smile as she turned to the vampire in the room. "Angel was fighting this… Sauron while you guys were coming back through. Sort of… sneaking back in while he wasn't looking?"

"That's how it happened," Willow responded. "And we almost didn't make it in because Buffy was trying to save—"

She stopped immediately and held her tongue, sorry that she had said that much. Silence fell in the room as Willow tenderly turned towards the Fellowship, who now wore downtrodden expressions. Merry and Pippin swallowed hard, remembering the thirteenth companion who had given his life to save him. Aragorn stared down at the ground, wishing that the son of the Steward of Gondor could have been with him on the day of his coronation.

Willow began again, trying to find a gentler way of speaking, "She was… She was trying… She tried—"

"She tried to save Boromir," Aragorn declared with a somber tone. "A man of Gondor. The only member of the Fellowship to not survive the journey. He was… killed… when we faced a herd of Uruk-hai."

Pippin added sadly, "He gave his life for us."

The gang was silent, respectful to their loss as Wesley replied, "Then he died an honorable man."

"I'm sorry you lost him," Angel said to Aragorn as the two made eye-contact with each other. "I know how hard that can be."

"I can tell you one thing," Gunn let out a light sigh as he shook his head, "this day just keeps getting better and better."

"Tell me about it," Lorne replied. "And that story is wild. I mean you could write a book. Or better yet – a movie…" As he said those last words, his mind fell deep into contemplation as he turned his back to the rest of the gang and paced around.

Willow began again with uncertainty in her voice, "When we left, Giles said that order was finally restored in the universe… but… why are you here?"

"We're here to find Buffy," Pippin boldly announced, looking up at Willow.

Aragorn quickly placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled the hobbit back towards him, "We have some urgent matters to discuss with her. We must see her at once." He looked around, "Is she here?"

"No," Angel answered, looking back at Willow, "she's, uh, in Sunnydale."

Willow added, "Faith and I were just on our way. It's a good thing you caught us. Or… technically, Faith caught you, but all the same." She looked up at Aragorn, "We can give you a ride there, if you want. It'll be a tight squeeze, but, you know, hobbits are more small-space compatible anyway."

"It would be most appreciated," Gimli answered with a hefty smile. He turned to Fred with a grin and added, "Until next time, my stunning lady." Fred blushed and gave a silly giggle as she shook her head and looked down at the floor.

Angel turned to Aragorn as the King sheathed his sword, "Sorry about the, uh…"

"I would hope you would forgive me, as well," Aragorn graciously replied.

"If you ever find yourself in Los Angeles again," he shrugged, and then looked up at the ceiling, replying under his breath, "God forbid… You have a welcome place here."

"Yeah," Gunn added with a grin, "maybe you could come back and teach us some of those moves." Legolas moved towards the door, finally removing his eyes from Connor, and he said nothing to him as the teenage boy continued to glare at him threateningly. Aragorn and Angel shook hands with each other firmly as Aragorn moved towards the door.

"So," Pippin asked, "where are the horses?" Faith and Angel's gang turned towards him, then looked at each other, and then looked back at Willow.

"Okay," Willow replied, "we'd better have a little talk on the way."

From the balcony above, a pair of dark eyes watched the New Fellowship with anger and spite. Cordelia Chase, clad in a provocative black dress, her body possessed by a fallen Power That Be, glared down at the new champions that entered the area. Cordy stepped back from the balcony and reached down to her pregnant stomach and she touched the evil creature inside of it as it twisted and turned with protest and fret.

"Don't worry," Cordelia whispered softly as she looked down at her stomach. "Connor will protect us. They can't stop us." Cordelia looked down at the Fellowship and locked her eyes on Frodo and Aragorn, "No one will."


	7. Reunion

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**7. Reunion:**

"There is a price for all things," a low, deep, female voice declared softly. Galadriel stood dressed in a glittering silver gown that touched the floor as her long, soft blonde curls hung down to her chest, framing her glorious face. The bluish-silver glow of the Lóthlorien moon shone down on her as she stood before the trickling fountain that dripped down into the cool pond behind her.

Buffy stood across the clearing, the forest and trees giving both of them privacy. She was clad in a black, cotton-like dress, not as exquisite as Galadriel's by far, but she still retained her beauty. Between the two women was a white pedestal with a silver bowl of water on top of it, the water glittering as it caught the light of the moon above.

"You have a destiny, Slayer," Galadriel declared slowly. "And it does not lie here."

Buffy's green eyes were stuck on the beautiful elf-sorceress, but they were hardened and cold. "Somehow this sounds familiar," Buffy declared with an icy tone. "But this isn't real," Buffy shrugged, staring around at her heavenly surroundings. "It's all for show."

"You feel abandoned," Galadriel answered calmly. "You feel—"

"Thanks," Buffy cut her off, "but I think I know how I feel."

Galadriel stared at her with surprise, then her expression fell flat and her eyes suspicious, but not surprised as they rested on the Slayer. "Your heart has been hardened by anger," Galadriel announced deeply. "The fire that once burned inside you has diminished. All that is left is a void where peace and sanctity should be."

"You people have a knack for stating the obvious, don't you?" Buffy quipped with a sarcastically astonished tone. Her interest vanished as she then glared at Galadriel and added, "Don't get all prophetic on me now. I don't have any more time for the cryptic."

Galadriel answered as she shook her head, "I did not lead you astray."

"Like hell you didn't!" Buffy snapped with a stunned expression. A few seconds passed as she found her calm, but still added with a hard tone, "You told me that Aragorn was going to die."

"And that would've been his fate," Galadriel responded, "if you had not saved him."

"One life for another," Buffy repeated, contemplating the irony. She nodded with a half smile, "Good thing I haven't had to deal with _that_ problem before."

Galadriel spoke to her mentally, her voice breaking through Buffy's thoughts, sounding harder than before with a hint of disapproving anger, "_Stop this foolishness at once._" Buffy's eyes snapped up and caught hers and the two of them stood silently for a moment before Galadriel continued, "_You can not hide behind a façade from me. I know what lies in your heart. I saw it once, and I still see it now._"

"_You don't know me,_" Buffy thought back to Galadriel as the two of them held their own staring contest. "_Not anymore._"

Galadriel declared aloud, "I know that you are lost." Buffy looked away from her as she added, "You are afraid. And too blinded with bitterness to see the truth."

"I suppose _you've_ got the answers?" Buffy turned back to her with a smug smile.

"You know well that destiny cannot be avoided," Galadriel answered slowly, "and fate, though uncertain, cannot be escaped. Hard times have fallen upon you, as they do to all, but you must overcome and find yourself in confusion." Buffy looked away from her with her arms crossed as Galadriel added, "You are chosen for this task, Buffy. But what you fail to realize is that you, too, have a choice."

Buffy stopped and considered this statement for a while, and then her eyes met the elf sorceress' eyes again. "Do you have a choice, too?" she asked. Galadriel nodded silently, then Buffy added with a dark, bitter tone, "Then why did you choose to let me go?"

Galadriel's expression did not change at all. She stood silently as her head tilted up a bit and her eyes glazed over, staring at Buffy intently. "Buffy," a male voice called, breaking through.

* * *

Buffy's eyes popped open as she quickly sat up in her bed that night, the moonlight casting shadows on her darkened bedroom. Sweat beaded down her forehead and down her chest, making her white, silk top stick to her skin. She shifted uncomfortably in her jeans as she sat up on top of her bedspread.

"Buffy," Spike's voice called again. She looked up to see the vampire with a soul standing in the doorway in his long, black leather duster with his platinum blonde hair slicked back. The moonlight reflected off of his pale-skinned, high cheekbones as he declared to her, "Come on. We've got some work to do."

Buffy turned away from him with a slow, disconnected expression as she looked down at the floor, "I was…" The words fell away as she remembered and softly responded, "The girls… right."

"Patrolling with the Potentials," Spike announced as a rare smile stretched his lips. "Let's go, Slayer. Time to show these girls how it's done."

* * *

A rock-hard fist slammed into Spike's jaw the ferocity of only one thing. The vampire went down on the grass of the graveyard like a ton of bricks, as he looked up at the medium-sized, voluptuous woman in tight leather clothing glaring down at him. "Planning a late night snack?" Faith asked with a twisted expression of anger.

"Nice punch you got there," Spike declared as he stood up, removing his hand from his lip. "Let me guess - leather pants, nice right cross, doe eyes, holier-than-thou glower… You must be Faith."

"Would ya look at that," Faith grinned. "I'm famous." She reared back and delivered another punch to Spike's jaw, but then the vampire blocked a following jab. Faith dug her knee into his ribs, doubling him over in pain.

"Bloody hell!" Spike spat. "What're you doing? We're on the same side!"

"Guess you didn't get the memo," Faith answered smugly. "I've changed."

"Well, so have I," Spike defended, standing at a nervous stance a significant distance away from her. "I reformed _way_ before you did." Faith delivered a right hook, then a backhand punch, before Spike caught her wrist.

Spike jabbed her in the face, "Stop…" He punched her in the face again, "hitting…" He gave her a final, backhand punch that knocked her to the ground, "me!" Faith landed on her back, but flipped back up in a hurry.

"You we're attacking that girl!" Faith exclaimed as she pointed to a blonde, teenage girl lying face-down on the ground near her. Suddenly, from the corner of her point of view, a fist came into frame and mightily gave her a devastating blow to her jaw, knocking her back down.

Buffy looked down at the other Slayer with her arms crossed, a smug expression and a not-so-convincing innocent tone, "Sorry, Faith. I didn't realize that was you."

Faith looked up at Buffy, having to push away her intimidation, as she stood up with a restrained attitude and responded, "It's okay, B." She removed her hand from her jaw and added, "Good thing you still hit like you used to."

Buffy glared at Faith quietly until she turned to Spike and asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah," he scoffed as he rubbed his chin, "terrific."

"Are you playing _Bad_ Slayer now?" Faith declared with a surprise as Buffy turned back to her. Faith expression was even more shocked as a new thought came over her, "Does this mean I'm the _Good_ Slayer now?"

"We were attacking a vamp," Buffy explained impatiently.

"That's not quite the way I remember it," Faith answered as she looked over at Spike. Buffy and Spike both raised their fingers and pointed at the young teenager behind Faith as she came to a stand. Faith turned around and saw the young, blonde, teenage roar at her in vampface.

Faith stared at her in shock, "Oh, shi—"

Buffy pulled a stake out of her jacket and quickly jammed it into the heart of the vampire. The girl stopped immediately, looked down in shock, then a few seconds later with a roaring scream, exploded into a cloud of dust.

Faith turned away from the cloud of dust, unalarmed, and suggested, "You should come up with a sign or something and make them wear it."

"I think we tried the 'Hi, I'm evil, ask me how' buttons, but they didn't really catch on," Buffy answered, then got down to business. "What are you doing here?"

"Just dropping by," Faith shrugged. "Heard there was a little hell raising going on. Thought I'd lend a hand in putting it down." Faith turned to Spike, "But why don't you go ahead and explain the No-Killing-Spike clause?"

"Yeah," Buffy replied, "some of us are still having trouble adjusting to that one. Spike has a soul."

"Like Angel?" Faith asked.

"No," Spike quickly responded defensively. Buffy and Faith turned to him and stared at him suspiciously. "Not like Angel," he declared.

Buffy turned to Faith again, "Sorry we don't have a welcome banner for you, but we've got lots of long night to go around."

"Had a long night already," Faith answered. "I _could_ use a place to crash."

"How does that go?" Buffy asked.

"Does it start with 'A,'" Spike asked, "end with 'pocalypse?' Screaming, running, hell fire, the whole bit… we've got some of that, too. You probably shoulda seen it coming." Spike stared at her boldly, then added, "And I'm really nothing like Angel. We have very different coloring."

Faith ignored the comment and answered, counting off on her hand, "More like permanent darkness, Beast, Angelus, coma… then factor in the midgets stickin' their heads out the window like dogs, then mini-Rob Zombie is whoopin' and hollerin' like he's taming a wild horse, meanwhile Tall, Dark, and Handsome's looking like he doesn't know whether to die of a heart attack or puke on my shoes, or both—"

"Wait, wait," Buffy cut her off in confusion. "Three questions: Who? What? Huh?"

"They're friends of yours or something," Faith shrugged as her mind struggled to think of a name. "Uh… Airy-horn… no… Airy-morn? No… or, is it Hairy-corn? No, that's not it—"

"Aragorn," Buffy cut her off again, her eyes fixed intensely on Faith as she was a silent as a stone, her mind thrust into contemplation.

"That's it," Faith pointed at Buffy as she smiled with sureness. "And his little side-kick buddy," she added, "Fido." Buffy and Spike were both staring at Faith in shock, Buffy staring with ominous and disturbed silence.

Spike declared, "Didn't see that coming."

* * *

The front door of 1630 Revello Drive swung open as Buffy Summers marched in with a mission. Her boots clanked on the wooden floorboards as Willow appeared in the doorway from the kitchen, Xander and Anya closely following her. Spike and Faith appeared from behind Buffy, but made their entrance quiet and almost unknown.

"Where are they?" Buffy asked Willow quickly, who also had a look of urgency on her face as well.

"Th-they're in there," she stated, pointing towards the living room. "Oh, Buffy; isn't it amazing!"

"It's really nuts, Buff," Xander declared with a smile on his boyish face. "I mean, they could've picked a better time to visit the Sunshine Portal of Hell, but still…" Buffy turned towards the living room and peaked inside to see Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Sam standing or sitting on the living room furniture. Standing either on top of the stairs or peeking in and out of the other entrance to the kitchen from the living room were the Potential, at least twelve or fifteen teenage girls standing around, gawking and giggling at the strangers.

Buffy's stomach twisted tightly as she turned her attention back to the Fellowship and a knot formed in her throat. She couldn't get her voice to form a word when she saw them, and instead felt her face blush and she wanted to hit the door in shame. Suddenly, a tidal wave of long-suppressed memories came rushing back to her, making her knees weak and her stomach even weaker. She could feel herself breaking into a sweat as she breathed hard and her throat constricted.

"Well, well," Spike's voice announced, breaking her fixated trance and catching the attention of everyone in the room. Spike's eyes rested on the Fellowship as they turned towards the foyer, led by Aragorn and he remarked, "Guess the trip down Memory Lane is gonna be quite the trip…"

"Spike!" Pippin exclaimed with a broad smile as he and Merry jumped to their big, hairy feet.

Aragorn came to a slow stand as he gazed at Buffy's blank, but endearing expression, "Aratoamin." The Elfish word rang in Buffy's ears with a perfect, beautiful sound – the sound of Heaven. A long pause developed between them as the rest of the room stared at them in silence.

Xander looked back and forth between them. Having not recognized the Elfish word, he let out a long laugh with was met with blank stares. "Right," Xander said, subduing himself.

"Buffy!" Merry cheered as he and Pippin rushed over and hugged her legs tightly. She bent down and hugged them both, feeling as if her ripped out heart was now returning to her. They released her and still kneeling on the ground, Buffy looked over at Gimli, who walked to her and gave her a tight, hug.

"Good to see you, my lady," he grinned wide, then let go of her neck and stepped back. Buffy stood up and felt as if she were in some sort of dream, and then looked up at Legolas and Aragorn, hugging them both as she tried to keep her balance. She released Aragorn and begged that it wasn't some dream, and then she gazed down to see Sam and Frodo, looking up at her gently.

Both of them shared bittersweet half-smiles as they stared up at her patiently. It can't be a dream, she decided, and she bent down and hugged them both tightly, wrapping them in her arms and closing her eyes. Their smell, their mood, the force of their little arms – everything transported her back to Middle Earth.

The noise of the whispering caught their attention once more and made them turn towards the stairway. Aragorn leaned back to his friend who stood behind him, "Legolas, what are they saying?"

"It seems," Legolas eyed the girls curiously then replied, "we are hot." Aragorn and Legolas gazed at each other in confusion, then ignored the comment and turned back to the situation at hand.

Buffy stood up and looked at each of them in amazed silence, "I-I… I don't even know what to say…"

"Are you all right?" Aragorn asked with concern.

Buffy continued to gaze around dazedly, then found it in her to answer, "Yeah… I'm fine." Buffy looked down at the faces of the hobbits: Pippin stared up at her eagerly, while Frodo and Sam gazed up at her warmly, and Merry's eyes were fixed on Buffy as if she were a god.

"But-but you…" Buffy breathed as she looked up at Aragorn and Legolas, "how did you all… how did you… get here?"

"Gandalf helped us," Pippin announced. "We were worried after you—" He suddenly stopped himself, having realized that he once again misspoke out of turn. He looked up at Aragorn, waiting for his disapproving look, but instead found a warm one.

"We were concerned," Aragorn looked up at Buffy and softly answered, "after you disappeared." The horrifying memory of the portal opening in the Party Field rushed back to her.

"Well," Xander declared in confusion, "we all came back here after we left. Actually not here… more like Giles' house. But thanks for asking."

"That's not what you mean, is it?" Willow asked, eyeing Buffy and the others. The Fellowship looked at Buffy in confusion, and then turned back to her.

"No," Pippin announced. "Not that time. Buffy disappeared at her party." Buffy's eyes turned to Pippin with alarm.

"Well," Buffy began to stuttered, "it-it's a long story…"

"Buffy had a party?" Xander asked. "I don't remember that."

"It was great," Merry replied. "There was singin' and dancin'..."

"It's really complicated," Buffy explained to Willow, Xander and Spike.

"There was a big flash of light and Buffy was gone," Sam replied.

Buffy turned to him, and then looked back at her friends, "Okay, maybe not that complicated."

"Wait, when was this?" Anya asked as she gazed at them curiously.

"About eight months ago," Frodo answered, looking up at her.

"Eight months ago?" Spike declared. "That's crazy talk. Sure you haven't gotten your heads mixed up?"

"Hey, why don't we all talk about this later?" Buffy asked.

"It wouldn't be eight months ago," Willow realized. "It would be… more like… a year and a half ago, judging by their time."

"Eighteen months?" Anya repeated, then turned to Xander and Willow with worry. Willow's face clouded with a hint of guilt once again, but not as much as Buffy's face did. Spike realized what was happening, then looked up at Buffy in confusion.

"Buff," Xander declared, looking up at her slowly, "you were in Middle Earth?"

"_That_ was your heavenly dimension?" Anya asked. Buffy looked at her, then at Xander, then Spike, and finally Willow – all of them with disapproving expressions on their faces. She didn't know what to say once again. Giles appeared with Dawn at his side from behind the crowd and finally gave her an emotion to feel.

"Why didn't you ever tell us, Buffy?" he asked in shock.

Her eyes narrowed on him, "I didn't think it was important anymore." Giles turned away from her with that remark and stepped back into the rest of the crowd. The Fellowship gazed around at the awkward moment that followed.

"We've got work to do," Buffy began again, her voice hard and commanding. "Faith told me about a girl who was stabbed…"

"She was in the middle of the road when we arrived in this city," Gimli answered.

"Yeah, she's at the hospital now," Willow replied. "I'm on my way there to see how she is. I'll give you a call when she wakes up."

"That's fine," Buffy answered, and then she turned and marched up the stairs leaving the others behind. Faith and the Fellowship had confused looks on their faces as Aragorn looked around, and then followed Buffy up the stairs.

Faith turned to Legolas who stared at the way intensely, his mind toiling over some grave problem. "What's perplexing your perplexer, Goldilocks?" she asked.

Legolas looked up at her, "I feel rather warm myself… but not 'hot.'"

Buffy continued up the stairs with Aragorn in pursuit and she rounded the railing at the top and marched into her bedroom, leaving the door open. Aragorn followed her to the top and noted her disturbed expression as he walked into her bedroom.

"Do you know how hard this is for me?" Buffy asked. "I mean, do you have any idea?" She whirled around towards him as she exclaimed, "I mean, I haven't seen you for like, a year and a half and you think you can just _walk_ in?"

Aragorn gazed at her in confusion as he stood in her doorway, then he stepped back and stood outside her door. "No," Buffy shook her head, then looked down at the floor with a tired expression. She couldn't help but smile. "That's not what I meant, you can come in."

He walked inside as she sat on her bed tiredly. "It's just," she explained, "it's so crazy. I mean, I never thought I'd see any of you again." Aragorn sat across from her in a chair next to her vanity set and returned the benevolent smile. Her green eyes sparkled as a half-smile rested on her face.

"I am grateful that we found you," Aragorn replied. "These eight months have proven one thing: that we all need you."

"I still don't understand," Buffy answered. "How did you get here?"

Aragorn reached down into the brown leather pouch on his belt and pulled out a white crystal a bit smaller in length than the size of his palm. He held it out for her to see as she reached over and touched the jagged stone.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It is called 'irma haeannon,'" Aragorn answered.

"'Secure the rodent'?" Buffy asked.

Aragorn looked at her and shook his head, "No… um, 'dimension door.'"

"Right," Buffy nodded, embarrassed. "Did I mention that I'm a little rusty?"

"It's a very rare stone," Aragorn added. "Made from the mountain of Silvertine. It possesses many powers and when the right words are said it can do many things. But there is a limit of each stone's power. Only enough for two major spells, respectively."

"To get you here and to get you back," Buffy nodded, understanding.

"There are eight stones with us right now," Aragorn answered.

"Eight?" Buffy repeated with puzzlement.

"Eight," he nodded. "Seven for the rest of us to come home, and one for you to return with us."

Buffy stared up at him with eyes wide, "You mean—"

"Yes, Aratoamin," Aragorn replied. "We've come to take you home." Buffy blankly gazed at him with speechlessness and not a single sound could be heard. Outside the door, Willow stood up against the wall, listening to every word said as her heart pounded nearly out of her chest and her blood began to boil.


	8. Sinners

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**8. Sinners: **

The sun rose over Sunnydale as Willow entered the front door after a long night standing guard at the hospital. She spotted Xander lying on the living room floor with other Potentials lying around in the living room as well. Willow carefully stepped over the bodies and grabbed Xander by the shoulder.

"No, Hitler…" Xander mumbled. "It was me…"

"Xander!" Willow whispered as his eyes opened wide. He looked up at his friend as she pulled him to his feet.

* * *

"She seems uptight," Gimli declared, as he and the New Fellowship met in Buffy's room, the seven of them having their privacy as they conversed.

"She's fine," Merry defended, "just surprised to see us is all."

"We arrived at a time of high tension," Aragorn whispered. "Much has happened since she came back to this world, more than we could imagine probably. I believe that our arrival has stunned her, as it has everyone. I suspect after she tends to whatever business she has to finish, she'll be ready to come home."

"We mustn't remain here long," Legolas said to Aragorn.

"Certainly," Gimli added. "There is something of a time limit."

"I understand," Aragorn answered. "But I will not hasten her until she is ready."

"I have one question," Pippin spoke up. They turned to him as he replied, "When are we going to eat?" Merry sighed and rolled his eyes.

In the master bedroom, formerly Joyce Summers' room, Willow, Xander and Anya had a tense conversation of their own. "Wait," Xander shook his head, "you're saying that the Fellowship showed up to take Buffy back?"

"Yes," Willow answered, worry striking her facial features. "That's what I heard Aragorn and Buffy talking about last night."

"That doesn't make any sense," Xander replied.

"I know," Willow breathed, "that's what I thought and then I realized what was going on… and then… _then_ it made sense…"

"Let me interrupt your non-English babbling for a second, Will," Xander declared. "Let's look at the facts. Buffy is our friend, she's our leader… she wouldn't just rush off at the first chance she gets."

"Why wouldn't she?" Anya asked blatantly. Xander and Willow turned to her and gave her a look, "What? It's not like I'm the only one who remembers last year. Buffy was miserable wishing that she was back in heaven. What's the difference except now we know exactly where Buffy's heaven was? And now she's got a ticket back to the best place she could possibly be. And you're saying she wouldn't jump on that boat because she has to stay here in… hell? She'd have to be crazy not to pack her bags."

Willow and Xander turned to each other uncomfortably. In their minds, they reviewed past and present, with the knowledge that this could be the very end, and hoped with all their hearts and minds that this was not what it seemed. _A happy ending was coming_, theyassured themselves. _Just like before. Now's not any different._ Xander declared whole-heartedly to Willow and to himself, "She's not leaving us. She wouldn't."

* * *

Cordelia Chase, still clad in black, paced around her room in the Hyperion tensely. _Everything was going perfect_, she thought to herself. _And then they had to fall out of the sky and ruin it all. _She hadn't factored any more champions coming into the game this late. Faith showing up was enough, but now this?

She was seething with anger and her dark eyes were filled with discontent as she continued to pace around in the room. What if they found out that she really wasn't Cordelia? What if they discovered her plan? If they really needed help, they'd be able to call on the Jousting League and they'd save the day for sure.

"Gettin' nervous, yeah?" a familiar Irish voice called. Cordelia froze instantly as the voice rang in her ears. She turned around slowly and faced the tall man with black hair in a brown leather jacket with a red, button-up, big collar shirt over a while undershirt and brown pants. The man's green eyes sparkled as they rested on her, but a malicious grin was twisted on his face.

Cordelia faced him fully, then narrowed her eyes, "Nice try, but you didn't think that I was _that_ dumb, did you? I know you're not him. You're not Doyle."

Allen Francis Doyle, or the First as Doyle, was not surprised to hear this. "Don't mind me stoppin' in," Doyle/The First said with a smile. "Always hated missin' the destruction of the competition. But hey, no hard feelings. We can go downtown and have a Jack D."

"Look at you," Cordelia sneered. "All dressed up and no one to intimidate." She continued in an innocent, fleeting, feminine voice, "Did you think seeing you like that was supposed to… break my heart?" She clutched her chest and fluttered her lashes, "Strike a chord? Get real. I know who you are and you should know who I'm not. Sorry, but you're not going to impress me in _that_ outfit."

"Why don't you save the speech this time, darlin'," the First haughtily declared, stepping towards her. "I'd eat the Powers that Be for breakfast."

"If you had teeth," Cordelia answered. "That's surprising though, given that obviously you have a mouth." She walked passed him, "Besides. I'm not with the Powers anymore. I'm beyond that."

"Sure you are," The First grinned. "Oh, by the way, sorry about your Beasty boy. Heard Angelus knocked him off. That must be a real pain in the arse, if you know what I mean. Good thing you still have Angelus by the tail. Oh, wait. You don't."

"And how's your Apocalypse going?" Cordelia asked, spinning around towards him. "Killed the Slayer yet? I hope so; see it as how you've got a new one headed your way."

"Right," the First declared. "Faith. Quite the looker. Not too bright, though. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve to fix her right and well. I'll fix them both."

"How are you going to do that?" Cordelia asked. "Emphatically gesture them to death?"

"I work in mysterious ways," the First grinned.

Cordelia sighed, "Guess that means you've got some assassin that'll probably be hacked to death before this is all over."

"Look on the bright side, darlin'," the First answered. "Less people for you to worry about. Until I kill you."

"Not if I finish you first," Cordelia challenged. "I've already got the Fantastic Five and the Boy Wonder wrapped around my little finger. They don't suspect a thing. With Willow and the Rent-A-Slayer out of my hair, I'll have plenty of time." Cordelia touched her bulging stomach, where her child was stirring inside of the womb as she glanced down, "Won't be long now."

"I wouldn't have all my money on Angel's dimness if I were you, sweetness," The First replied with his arms crossed.

"And what makes you think you'll become corporeal before I take over?" Cordelia asked. "We both know your army isn't enough."

"I'm gettin' mine," the First snapped in her face, Doyle's voice nearly disappearing completely in the mass of anger and hate. "Worry about yours."

Cordelia glared at him and then the thought of the Fellowship returned to her mind. She turned away from him as a smile curved her lips. "You know," Cordy began slowly, "the Slayers aren't all you've got to worry about. There are new players now." The First turned to Cordelia in confusion as she turned back around, "But of course, it's not any of my business."

The First continued to glare at her before finally relenting, "Go on."

Cordelia turned to the wall and shrugged her shoulders innocently, "Oh, you know, it's just… well…" She looked over at him, "Have you ever heard of the Fellowship of the Ring?"

"The Fellowship of the Ring?" the Irish-accented voice repeated. "The one that destroyed the One Ring of Power?"

"That's the one," Cordelia replied. "They're here. Now."

"In Los Angeles?" the First exclaimed with surprise.

"No," Cordelia shook her head idly, "in Sunnydale." That caught the First's attention. Cordelia faced him fully and bluntly began, "Look, this is something that neither of us needs right now. Let's make a deal."

It'seyes found hers and seemed vaguely interested, "I don't need a deal."

"Neither do I," Cordelia countered. "But unusual times call for unusual measures." The First stared at her as a wide smirk formed on her face.

"What're you thinkin'?" he asked. She stood up and went over to a book shelf on the other side of the room and scanned the titles for a book.

"I'm thinking that you kill them," Cordelia smiled, "and I'll give you something that you've always wanted." She pulled a book she stole from Wesley off of the shelf and flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. She turned it back to the First and showed him the page title: MAGICKS OF TIME DISPLACEMENT.

She explained with a wide grin, "Power."

* * *

The doors of Sunnydale Memorial slid open as Buffy and Willow walked in side-by-side and the Fellowship followed them in. They strode down the hallway and received stares from nurses, patients and especially the lady at the reception desk who nearly dropped her coffee in her lap. 

Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and the hobbits noted the staring and tried their best to ignore it, but could not. "It's because you look like you jumped off the horse from the Renaissance Fair," Buffy explained as they continued down the hallway.

* * *

A young, teenage girl lay in a hospital bed of the emergency room, bruises covering her face and body. She was covered in bandages and spoke with a soft, fearful whisper. "He was a minister," the girl, Shannon, began, "or at least he dressed like one. I thought he was going to help me…at first."

Buffy and Willow stood next to the bed and silently listened as Frodo and Sam against the wall, next to Merry and Pippin. Legolas watched silently and intensely from the corner of the room with Gimli standing beside him while Aragorn was the closest of all of them, standing behind Buffy.

"How did you meet him?" Buffy asked with deep concern.

"Bringers were after me," Shannon sniffed. "I ran out into the road and… he picked me up. Then he called them… 'his boys.' That was right before he burned me."

"Burned you?" Aragorn repeated with surprise. Shannon reached up and gently pulled back the bandage over the left side of her neck to reveal a scar in the shape of a symbol burned into her flesh. Willow removed a digital camera from her purse and quickly snapped a picture for future reference. The Fellowship gazed around in surprise as the bright white light flashed in their eyes.

"It's okay," Willow replied. "It's a camera."

"A what?" asked Pippin.

Willow frowned uncomfortably, "Uh... It's... how 'bout we go over it in the car, 'kay?"

"The _car_?" Aragorn exclaimed.

"He wanted to tell you something," Shannon declared, staring up at Buffy as tears welled in her eyes. "Before he… cut me… he told me to give the Slayer a message." Buffy stared down at her as worry came over her and the room once again fell dead silent. "He said… 'I've got something of yours.'"

* * *

"I am not familiar with these minions," Legolas turned to Buffy as they were walking down the hallway of the hospital together. "Bringers…?" 

"Servants of the First," Willow answered. "They who make with the black robes, the no-eyes, the big knives, and of course, the pure terror…"

"I fear no minion," Gimli announced saucily. "I doubt if there's a Bringer strong enough to face a dwarf!"

"The First?" Merry repeated, then looked up at Buffy. "The First what?"

Buffy answered as she continued her warpath march, "Evil." She walked ahead of the rest of the group, causing most of the Fellowship to pause and watch her from behind in surprise.

"What's wrong with her?" Pippin asked suspiciously.

Willow stopped beside them and looked down at him, then looked up at her. "It's been a long year," she sighed, then followed her leader down the hallway.

* * *

"All right," Buffy announced strongly as she eyed her soldiers. "Here's the plan." She stood with her arms crossed in the middle of the Summers' living room as the Potentials stood nearby and stared back at her tiredly with fear and anxiety in their eyes. Xander, Willow and Anya stood near the stairs as they listened, while Giles, Faith and Sunnydale High School Principal Robin Wood stood near the furthest living room wall. Spike listened from a corner as Andrew stood closely at his side and Dawn Summers sat with the rest of the Potentials. The Fellowship, once again being the most out of place, stood mostly together behind Buffy in the foyer. 

"There's a new player in town," Buffy declared with a stone face. "Dresses like a preacher. Calls himself Caleb." Buffy turned towards Kennedy and other Potentials behind her as they defiantly stared back at her. "He nearly killed a Potential tonight. He stabbed her because he knew I would come. He gave her a message to give to me."

Buffy idly passed her eyes over Rona, the other defiant Potential that glared at her through her speech, as she continued to pace. "He said that he's got something that belongs to me," Buffy answered. "Could be another girl. Could be something else. Don't know, don't care. I'm tired of waiting and I'm tired of training. He's got something of mine? Fine." She stood still and gazed out at all of them with finality, "I'm gonna get it back. And you're coming with me."

Silence blanketed the room and fear and shock set in.

"Say what?" Rona declared bluntly as she looked up at Buffy. The Slayer stared back at her, unsympathetic to her complaints. "You _can't_ be serious."

"Huh," Buffy replied to her. "Guess strange things happen everyday." Rona gave her leader a look, then turned away harshly in protest. "Look, I'm not saying it's going to be fun," Buffy added, with a pinch of more sympathy than she had before. "I _am_ saying that it's necessary. It's what we have to do."

"Fine," Kennedy replied, with her head down, growing tired of the clash. "Whatever. Just… what's the plan? Do we even know where this guy is?"

"We don't," Buffy answered. "That's why I'm going to take a group on a recon mission to find the location of his place. We've still got the captured Bringer. I figure a lost dog always finds his way back home."

"Yeah, and what if he doesn't?" Rona asked bitterly.

"Then we'll need an excellent tracker," Buffy answered matter-of-factly. "Lucky for us, we've got us a few good trackers that have just dropped in."

Amanda, another Potential and friend of Dawn, raised her hand and pointed at the Fellowship, "They're going?"

"If they're up to it," Buffy answered, turning back to her friends and waiting for a response.

Aragorn gazed at Buffy, then turned to his friends inquiringly. With a nod from everyone, Gimli looked up and grinned, "Our service is yours." Xander, Willow and Anya shot each other concerned looks; Anya's being that of 'I told you so.'

Molly, another Potential, pried her eyes away from Legolas and Aragorn, then turned to Amanda and responded, "Count me in definitely."

Chuckles scattered from around the girls as Buffy couldn't help but crack a smile. She looked over across the living room and caught the gaze of Spike who also smiled and rolled his eyes a bit. "This is serious, everyone," Buffy then declared. "When we come back, I want you ready to ride."

Anya heaved a big sigh and turned to Xander and Willow, "Maybe I'm just being myself, but I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Yeah," Xander breathed, staring at Buffy and the Fellowship, "in more ways than one."

* * *

The black-robed Bringer, with slashed symbols where his eyes should be, crawled through the foliage and brush in the forest west of Downtown Sunnydale. Legolas Greenleaf followed closely behind, staying no more than ten feet behind him, watching him and his surroundings intently. A few feet behind him, Buffy Summers strolled in between Aragorn and Merry, with Gimli trailing behind the group with Frodo, Pippin and Sam.

"Amazing," Aragorn declared simply, the moonlight being enough to light his path as he studied the Bringer. "How is this creature able to see?"

"Dunno," Buffy answered. "SONAR or something… Kind of like bats?" She crinkled her nose and turned to him, "You have bats, right?"

"Do they roam about at their free will like this?" Frodo asked with a puzzled expression.

"Not really," Buffy shook her head. "They usually show up all of a sudden and stab or get stabbed." She turned back to the Bringer and stared at him with narrowed eyes, "But it looks like this one wants to be found."

"Maybe your friends are correct," Aragorn declared. "This all might be a ploy to ambush you when you least expect it."

"I'm through waiting for them to attack us," Buffy snapped, throwing her eyes on him.

"You misunderstand me," he replied, a bit stunned. "This is common rule in any war game."

She stopped and turned to him with a withering tone and expression, "This isn't a game." She glared at them all, "People are getting killed in my world and more are going to die!" Buffy turned back to Aragorn, "I think you're the one who doesn't understand."

Her voice boomed as it faded away and the Fellowship stood in the middle of the forest staring at her. Pippin and Sam exchanged awkward looks while Merry stared up at Buffy with sad, almost hurt eyes. Gimli looked up at her with a profound look of puzzlement while Aragorn gazed at her, clearly unsettled and disturbed. Frodo's deep blue eyes were wide as thoughts of ironic similarity poured into his skull, but the surprise faded away and he simply sighed from his point of higher perception.

"Buffy," Aragorn began, "why don't you just come back with us? We may send for your family and friends once we arrive." Buffy ripped her eyes away from them all and dug them into the dirt as he continued to speak, her face twisting into a sour expression. "Gandalf could plan—"

"Have you heard a word I've said?" Buffy bitterly declared with her eyes on the ground.

"Buffy," Merry softly replied like a betrayed child, "why are you being like this?"

She did not speak nor move. Frodo watched her intently as Aragorn stepped up to her and whispered softly, "Aratoamin…"

The one word shook her to her bones. "Tell us," he continued as she stared at the ground in terror. "Tell us what has happened to you that has made you this way." Suddenly, like a bolt of lighting, the fear went away. She raised her head and stared at him, her green eyes just a little darker and her expression just a little more passionate than before. Aragorn shook his head with pity as he stared down at her, "You've changed…"

His words tolled in her head like the sound of a bell as she swallowed hard. For a moment, every other sound and sight in the forest – all sounds in the town of Sunnydale, California – disappeared completely.

"You really think I've changed?" Buffy asked with a small, almost childlike voice. Her tone suddenly darkened in the blink of an eye, and now this Champion of theirs was threatening and livid with ice water in her veins. "You're even dumber than I thought," she said quietly, with her blazing eyes glaring at him.

Aragorn stared down at her, deeply disturbed as he stepped back away, not being able to take his eyes off of her. A shockwave passed over the Fellowship of disbelief and bewilderment, chilling all of them except for one hobbit near the back who simply pursed his lips and sighed to himself solemnly.

A twig snapped nearby, breaking their trances, as the group turned their head towards Legolas as he rounded a tree and approached them. "I have found something," he stated.

"It's about time," Buffy answered and marched off on her own, walking passed Legolas and the others.

* * *

"Xander," Andrew whined petulantly, crossing his arms and staring at him. 

Xander Harris stood in front of the Potentials in the Summers living room carrying a spiked baseball bat as he sighed and explained, "Listen guys, Matthew Broderick did not kill Godzilla. He killed a big, badly animated, dumb lizard. That wasn't the real Godzilla. Well, except for the badly animated part."

Rona shook her head and crossed her arms as she held a sword in her hands, "You people are even crazier than her."

"Than who?" Xander asked, staring at her.

"Buffy," she spat with dissention. "She's taking us right into the bad guy's lair."

Xander gazed at her and shrugged his shoulders, "Um, granted I'm not the one with the brains around here… but I think that's where one would go if they were looking for the bad guy." He looked at her incredulously, "You didn't come here to fight plaque, did you?"

Rona sighed and snapped back, "No, I came here for protection."

Xander answered, "Well, you signed on—"

"Look, I know," Rona sighed shaking her head and giving up. "But… I just… This plan is trouble, all right?" Xander turned away from her, unable to hear her finish as he looked towards the stairs. Anya and Willow stood their with their staring at him, Anya with the 'I Told You So' look and Willow clearly having trouble putting her doubts out of her mind.

He stared at his ex-girlfriend and best friend as thoughts of the last seven years flowed through his mind, burning him sometimes, but warming him other times. When the praying mantis teacher tried to eat his head, she was there. When he was split into two Xanders, she was there. Xander was about to be mauled by the female population of Sunnydale High, she was there.

_Well, technically,_ he thought, _she was a rat at the time. But that's my bad._

Whenever the world was about to end, she was always there. Why should he and his friends have doubt in her now? Rona's voice came back into his head as she heard her say to the other Potentials, "It's like Buffy doesn't even care how many of us she puts in danger…"

His head snapped over to her as his eyes found hers with instantaneous urgency. "Let me tell you something about Buffy," he announced, making sure he was heard loud and clear. "I've been through more battles with her than any of you can ever imagine. She's stopped everything that's ever come up against us."

At that moment, the front door opened quietly as Buffy and the Fellowship entered inside the foyer just as Faith was joining in on the speech and she stood next to Buffy.

"She's laid down her life – literally – to protect the people around her," Xander continued. "She's died twice and is still standing. You think you're scared? You should be. You've got questions? You should have. But if you doubt her for a second and if you think she's all about the kill…" He let the words fade off as he shook his head, "Then you're taking the short bus to battle."

Buffy clutched the doorknob tightly, feeling her eyes strain, knowing that she couldn't listen to this. She clenched her jaw and wanted to run away as fast as she could, tears beginning to well in her eyes. It was like the purest form of torture for the Slayer who's already been through everything.

Sam stared at Xander, remembering that he was the one who had the best speeches, and he remembered Xander's speech to Sam at the fireplace on the edge of the forest. That was the day Boromir died. A chill ran down Sam's spine suddenly and was gone as quickly as it came.

Frodo glanced down at his shoulder quickly as he put his small palm over his old wound; it throbbed at least once with a sharp tinge, but quickly disappeared. He looked up and turned to Buffy to see her eyes brimming with pain as Xander's words poured out like warm milk. A new worry came over him, but his voice was too weak to form words.

Aragorn listened quietly and his eyes fell to the ground as memories of what was poured into his mind once again. A smile formed on his lips as he whispered to himself, "Aratoamin." Legolas turned to him, having heard and recognized the word, and both of them smiled vividly.

"I've seen her heart," Xander declared, continuing on with their full attention, "and this time not literally. I'm telling you she cares more about your lives than you will ever know. You've gotta trust her. She's earned it." Silence fell over the crowd as Buffy quickly looked down and pulled herself together.

"Damn," Faith announced as they all turned to see Faith, Buffy and the Fellowship standing in the foyer. "I never knew you were that cool."

"Well," Buffy said, raising her head, "you always were a little slow."

"I get that now," Faith nodded simply.

"Okay everyone," Buffy inhaled as she lifted her head, "we're going." The Potentials glanced at each other with trepidation as they came to a stand and clutched their weapons tightly. Buffy stepped out of the foyer and directed them, "All right, the place is a vineyard about a mile and a half off Goddard Lane. We're gonna take a small group this time around – Faith, Xander, Spike, I could use your help."

"No problem gettin' my hands dirty," Spike shrugged.

"Point me where you want me," Faith nodded simply.

Buffy turned to the Potentials, "Molly, Amanda, Chao-Ahn, Lauren…" Buffy's eyes scanned the girls, "Kennedy and Rona, let's go." Kennedy, with extreme hesitance in her heart, nodded simply, her dark eyes finding her love interest Willow as the witch swallowed hard with worry. Rona sighed deeply with her eyes on the floor and shook her head, standing up off the couch and following Kennedy outside, the other four Potentials and the three Scoobies following them.

Xander stopped in the doorway and looked up at Anya and Willow, both of them staring down at him with worry in their eyes and hearts. "Believe," Xander whispered, as Willow and Anya shook their heads. He turned and walked out the door as both of the women disappeared up the stairs.

Legolas gave a look to Aragorn and the King looked down at Gimli. With a nod from the Dwarf, Aragorn walked over to Buffy and asked, "What would you have us contribute?"

"Nothing," Buffy answered simply. She turned to catch the moment the shock changed his expression, "You're all staying here." She quickly pulled away from Aragorn and the others, not being able to look at any of them in the eye as she rushed out the door and pulled it closed behind her with a slam.

The Fellowship stood quietly, _very _unaware of their place in the world now. "Amazing isn't it?" they heard Giles say as the former Watcher approached them from behind with his hands tucked in his pockets. "Less than five words can change everything."

* * *

Buffy stepped down the hallway, her eyes scanning the shadowed crevices inside a wine cellar at the Shadow Valley Vineyard. Kennedy, Rona, Molly and Chao-Ahn followed the Slayer closely, fear gripping the girls, though Kennedy tried the hardest not to show it. Spike was close on Buffy's right, both of them acting like the protective parents of their Potential offspring. 

"There has got to be Bringers here somewhere," Buffy shook her head. "It's too quiet."

A few seconds later, several Bringer priests in black robes with matching double daggers leapt out of the shadows and charged the Slayer's group. "Should've enjoyed it while it lasted, yeah?" Spike said, turning to Buffy, then blocking the attack of a Bringer.

A Bringer slashed his razor-sharp blade at Buffy, and she ducked to dodge and shifted out of the way of the next swing. She grabbed one of the Bringers by the arm and kicked him in the stomach, and then she twisted the arm back, snapping it. The Bringer turned around and punched her in the face with his good arm.

Spike jumped back just as a Bringer jabbed at him with a knife and the vampire returned the favor with a head-butt and then a kick to the chest. Molly put her fists up toughly, standing next to Rona, and the both of them double-teamed a single Bringer as he fought to cut both of them. Kennedy fought off a Bringer by herself, managing to knock it down to the ground, and then ran over to Chao-Ahn's aid and helped her battle her opponent.

Suddenly, the Bringers stopped and ran off like deer hearing a gunshot. Buffy straightened and glanced around with confusion. All at once it was too quiet again, as if even the insects in the ground were terrified into silence. The Slayer felt the chill on her skin as if Death had clutched her and knew that something was terribly wrong.

A tall man with dirty blonde hair, dressed in all black save for his white collar, stepped out of the shadows with a twisted smile on his face as he stared at the Slayer's back.

* * *

Frodo, sitting tiredly on the Summers' couch, let out a cry of pain as he grabbed his shoulder in agony. "Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked, sitting next to him and turning towards his friend. Pippin and Merry, also looked over at Frodo, the four of them crowded on the furniture. 

"What's wrong?" Pippin asked curiously.

Frodo broke into a sweat suddenly as he whispered, "Buffy…"

Merry's eyes went wide as he jumped up to a stand, while Sam and Pippin looked at each other, unaware of what to do next.

* * *

"Well, now you girls are just burning up with righteousness, aren't you?" the man dressed as a priest said with a slow, southern drawl. "Problem is," he declared, strolling up to the Slayer as she and the others turned towards him, "you think you're blazing like suns, when you're really burning like matchsticks in the face of the darkness."

"Save the sermon, padre," Buffy cut him off curtly. "Heard you had something of mine."

He let out a small laugh, "Well, I do now." Apprehension gripped Buffy's stomach as she stared up at him and he stepped closer towards her across the dirt floor of the wine cellar. "You know, I ruined a perfectly good knife on that little girl. Got her blood all over my truck. Might have to get a new one." The Priest glanced her up and down, but not in any way that a man looks at an attractive woman. Disgust blazed in his dark-as-night eyes as he looked at Buffy, standing before him trying to keep a straight, fearless and powerful expression.

His expression changed as he continued to walk towards her. "So you're the Slayer," he coaxed with awe, his voice sounding like warm molasses as he gazed at her with amazement. _The_ Slayer. The strongest, fastest, most amazing one there probably ever has been." His eyes wondered around the wine cellar, enchanted, as he preached to his invisible congregation, "You're the most aflame with that most precious invention of all mankind…" His eyes rested upon her again, "The notion of goodness."

Inhaling deeply, overwhelmed by her presence, he stepped up to her with a wide smile as Buffy stared up at him from beneath a furrowed brow. "Yes…" he grinned, "the Slayer is indeed the most powerful among all women." In a flash, he drew his fist back and slammed it like a train into her jaw, sending her flying backwards dozens of feet and crashing into a brick wall. Her skull collided with the hard brick and then she toppled to the dirt floor, her eyes rolling up in the back of her head as she lost consciousness and was out cold.

"So," Caleb looked up smugly at Spike, the unbelieving vampire, and other Potentials who stared at him like terrified puppies, "what else you got?"

* * *

"Aragorn!" Merry nearly yelped as the King rushed into the living room from the kitchen, followed by Gimli and Legolas. They each turned towards Frodo who was now clutching his skull in utter torture while grunting and yelling for mercy.

"It's Buffy!" Sam shouted. "Mr. Frodo says there's something happening to Buffy!"

"We have to find her," Merry turned to Aragorn with resolve.

Gimli shook his head, "But we were told—"

"I don't care!" Merry snapped, and then glared up at Aragorn. "We have to find her."

Taken aback, he stared down at the small hobbit that suddenly looked as tall as a giant, with his eyes flashing threats all the same. Aragorn pursed his lips as he kept eye contact with Merry, an understanding coming over him.

"Aragorn," Gimli protested, "it is folly to leave. This is not our world and not our fight. We were ordered to stay." Legolas looked over from Gimli to Aragorn face as Sam and Pippin glanced at each other, then up at Aragorn.

The King with the White Tree of Gondor embroidered on his chest, reached down for the hilt of his sword, Anduril, as his hand rested upon it. "I am _not_ ordered to stay," Aragorn declared as he quickly turned and marched towards the door, Merry rushing out to follow. Legolas left a stunned Gimli's side to follow them out, while Pippin followed him.

"Wha…" Gimli shook his head. "Wha—" He cut off his words and shouting to them, "A dwarf does not fear what an elf or man does not fear!" With a sigh, he pulled out his ax and followed them out of the house.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam turned to his friend to see him standing up off the couch and moving towards the door.

"I'm going, Sam," Frodo announced, "whether it be your will or not." He walked with almost a limp, but he quickly moved out of the doorway.

"I know," Sam answered with a tired sigh as he watched his friend leave, "and I'm gonna be there to rescue you."

* * *

Caleb grabbed Spike and lifted the vampire in the air, and then threw him across the wine cellar into a pile of barrels filled with red wine. The barrels burst as he crashed into them and wine spilled out like blood across the floor.

The Bringers rushed out of the shadows like ants to attack the remaining Potentials. The two groups clashed, Kennedy leading the Potentials as she charged at the Priest furiously only to have a Bringer jump in her way. As Kennedy fought the Bringer, Caleb walked up towards her, his eyes feasting on the pleasure he was about to have. He grabbed the girl by the arm and smacked her across the room into another pile of barrels.

Rona looked up from her fight as she shouted with eyes full of terror, "Kennedy!" She bolted towards her friend with her spiked baseball bat in her hands and felt a hand grab her arm like an iron clamp. Rona swung the bat at Caleb, who easily caught it in his free hand as he stared down at the helpless Potential with a smile.

"Miss, I do believe you've got a few problems of your own," he grinned, then snapped Rona's forearm like a twig. She screamed out in agony as he tossed her to the ground, then picked up a knife off the floor, tossing it to one of 'his boys.' The Bringer caught the knife and raised it high above Rona, ready to plunge it into her when an arrow shot through the Bringer's throat.

Rona looked over to see Xander standing in the doorway with a crossbow and Faith at his side as the remaining Potentials rushed out from behind the duo into the wine cellar to join the battle.

"Oh, good," Caleb grinned with his deep south tone, "there's more of you."

Faith charged at Caleb with a knife in each hand as Xander spotted Buffy still down on the floor, unconscious. "Buffy!" he called as he ran towards her, but had to encounter a Bringer blocking his path.

Faith and Caleb exchanged blows, but even the hardest punches and kicks that Faith dished out didn't seem to stop the freight train in a priest's collar. "Oh, lookie now," Caleb grinned as he slapped her around. "You must be Faith. The _other_ white meat." She punched him in the face and he turned around and jabbed her in the stomach, doubling her over. "Your Cain to her Abel. No offense to Cain, mind you."

Buffy's eyes fluttered open, her skull throbbing with pain, as the dim light of the wine cellar grated her eyes. She looked across the room with blurry vision to see a beaten and bloody Faith being tossed away like a tin can. Caleb turned around and clutched the throat of a Potential with long, black hair. _Lauren_, Buffy remembered as she sat up against the wall.

Lauren's dark eyes were wide and full of helplessness as Caleb turned around and glared at Buffy with a maniacal smile, asking softly, "This one trusts you too, doesn't she?" Forcefully, yet easily, he snapped her head back, crushing almost every vertebra in Lauren's neck as the Potential fell to the ground lifelessly.

"No!" a scream erupted from Molly as she saw her friend's body topple to the floor. Buffy's green eyes, wide with horror, turned towards Molly as Caleb stomped over to the teenage girl menacingly.

"I work in mysterious ways, little girl," he grinned as he gutted Molly with her own sword. "Also in some fairly straightforward ones."

Buffy weakly tried to stand up as Xander ran over to her. "We've got to get out of here!" she ordered. "Give the call now." Buffy turned towards Caleb as he let go of the dead Potential, and her eyes were burning with ferocity. She fumingly rushed Caleb with everything in her heart.

Aragorn rushed down the stairs into the wine cellar with his sword at the ready as Legolas came up behind him, with Gimli behind them and then the four hobbits rushing in last. "Look out!" Merry shouted, as a Bringer rushed Aragorn. Aragorn dug his sword into the Bringer's side, ripped it out, and then sliced off its head.

Legolas drew his arrow and began to fire at the new swarm of Bringers that poured out into the wine cellar, knocking off one by one. "Aragorn," Gimli announced as he pointed, "we're too late!"

Aragorn and the other hobbits looked down at the floor to see the bodies of Molly and Lauren, tattered and destroyed on the floor. He looked up to see Buffy fighting the Priest furiously. "Not yet," Aragorn declared as he joined the fight and clashed with a Bringer.

Buffy ducked underneath one more of Caleb's punches, and then shifted out of the way to avoid a swift kick. She buried two jabs into his chest, then a hook in the jaw. She pushed him backwards then served one mighty blow that sent him flying across the room.

Buffy marched after him just to have her pulled back by her arm. She turned around and looked up at Spike who declared to her, "We're _all_ leaving."

Xander rushed over to Kennedy as she finally pulled herself out of the barrels. He helped her to her feet, "Are you okay?" She tiredly nodded and stood up, then she limped out of the wine cellar. Spike escorted Rona out of the building as Xander turned around and called to the other Potentials and the Fellowship, "Come on! Fall back!"

Caleb grabbed Xander and turned him around to face him. Xander was frozen still as he stared up at the menacing priest that gazed into his eyes and waved one hand around in his face. "Ahh," Caleb grinned. "So you're the one that sees things?" He was terrified into silence as Caleb added, "Well, let's see what we can do about that…" Caleb suddenly buried his right thumb into Xander's left eye, gouging it out as Xander let out a screaming howl and blood trickled down his left cheek.

In a split second, Xander's vision changed from Caleb's face, to darkness, and then he saw something amazing – Galadriel's worried eyes opened and stared at him before he once again saw black.

Aragorn killed a Bringer and turned towards Xander, having heard the scream, as each of them looked over at him in terror. "Xander!" Sam called out as Spike leapt across the room and shoved Caleb away from Xander. Xander collapsed on his back as Spike and Sam pulled him away from the scene and rested him against a vat of wine as Buffy rushed over in terror.

"Mr. Xander!" Sam howled in terror as he clutched his friend's hand. "Everything's going to be okay…" Buffy and Spike lifted Xander up and carried him out with Sam following closely behind.

Caleb came to a stand and charged at Buffy, Spike and Xander again, but was cut off by Aragorn. "Touch them again," he defended, "and you will have fought your last battle."

"Finally," Caleb answered smugly, "a strong male in the bunch. I might actually feel sorry when I kill you." In a flash, Caleb backhanded Aragorn across the room and he landed hard in the dirt. He quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed his sword, his back and side throbbing, but he still prepared to charge Caleb.

"Aragorn!" Legolas called as the rest of the Fellowship retreated.

"Better go catch up," Caleb nodded to Aragorn. "But don't worry. We shall meet again, my friend."

Aragorn backed away with his sword pointed at Caleb, "We are _not_ friends."

Caleb shook his head with pity, "Neither are you and the harlot." Aragorn stayed but a moment more, soaking in this information, and then he turned and was the last one out of the wine cellar. Caleb stood in the middle of the cellar amongst the bodies of the fallen that lay in the wine-soaked dirt as he smiled with a wide grin of satisfaction.

* * *

Cordelia Chase sat on her legs in the middle of her hotel room with a circle drawn around her on the wooden floorboards. Candles surrounded her on the circle as she sat with her eyes closed and whispered the same phrases over and over, "Extraho is ex vicis. Curator of vicis, is Volo. Vos tendo is perpetuus iam."

She held out her hand as a blue light appeared in the ceiling above.

* * *

"Now, it's a simple story," Caleb smiled as he stood in his wine cellar, "stop me if you've heard it. But I've come to believe that almost anything can be made better after a good story."

* * *

Buffy strolled down the hospital hallway and into the emergency room with her arms wrapped tightly around her and bruises on her face and body. One by one, she walked past the hospital beds of her friends, some of them unconscious, some of them awake in pain. Some of them, like Rona, saw her and turned away in anger, cutting into Buffy even more.

_"And this one has a happy ending," Caleb announced._

Buffy walked up to the last bed, the one where Xander was in as he lay sleeping with one eye patched and Willow in tears at his bedside. Buffy stood there silently in a horrified gaze that she could not break, something dying inside her eyes to see her friend lying twisted in the bed. Willow turned away from her friend and looked up to see Buffy standing alone far from both of them as if there was a wall between them. _There is a wall,_ Willow thought, then remembered Xander's fateful words.

_Believe._

_Believe,_ she thought, her throat tightening, her eyes stinging and her stomach turning - her body lost between fear, despair and anger.

* * *

"There was a woman," Caleb said, "and she was foul, like all women, because Adam's rib was dirty – for what was he but human?"

* * *

Buffy walked into her home a little while later to see the rest of the Potentials patching up their wounds, some girls in tears because of the loss of Molly and Lauren and the fear of their impending fates.

_"But this woman," Caleb continued, "was filled with darkness and despair. And why?"_

Buffy looked across the room at Aragorn as he cleaned the blood off of his lip, a bruise grazing his chin. Her eyes softened as tears stung them, but as soon as he turned and his eyes found hers, Buffy hardened instantly and turned away. With her back turned towards Aragorn and the rest of the Fellowship, she swallowed hard as if she were swallowing stones, and stepped out of the living room and out of the house.

"Where is she going?" Pippin asked Gimli.

"I do not know, young hobbit," Gimli declared as he watched her go. "I doubt any of us does."

* * *

"Because she did not know," Caleb declared as he stood in front of the First in the form of Buffy Summers. "She could not see. She did not know the good news and the glory that was to come. That would be you. For the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory are yours, now and forever."

Buffy/The First smiled wide as she heard this news as it stared up at Caleb with pride. "You see she doesn't understand," he explained. "She doesn't know anymore. And they don't see that they can't help her."

* * *

Buffy walked down Main Street in Downtown Sunnydale by herself with her arms wrapped tightly around her torso, as silent tears rolled down her cheeks and fear inhabited her green eyes.

* * *

"They followed her," Caleb declared, "and she has failed. That is all they see, and all she sees is darkness and fear that she can't let go of. The pieces are set and neither of them sees what is really to come. The rules have changed. Everything has changed. And now there is no time to beat… no center to destroy… no Champion to save them… nothing. The First Evil will rise and everything else… will ruin."

* * *

The light finally dimmed as a hot object landed in the palm of Cordelia Chase's hand. She opened her eyes and gazed down at the Elfish Tengwar cursive letters as they blazed up at her and then disappeared into the gold finish of the One Ring of Power.

_"See? I told you this had a happy ending."_


	9. Alone

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**9. Alone:**

Arwen strolled through the great halls of her palace – now she was the one left in charge since her husband set forth on his journey. Everything in her world seemed darker, even on the brightest days. And she knew why – the scales in her world, and she could imagine Buffy's world, were beginning to tip. They had been gone too long already.

Arwen's blue eyes opened wide, realizing that now she was in a different place. She had been roaming the palace quite idly, trying to escape from the eyes of those who watched her with scrutiny, and found herself in the room where she had found Buffy so long ago.

With this memory in her mind, she stopped and turned towards the wall with fear in her heart. The painting of Luthien Tinuviel stared at her ominously.

"No," she whispered as tears began to well up in her eyes. "He is coming home." Luthien stared at her silently, her sad eyes doing all the talking. Arwen spun on her heel and ran away as fast as she could, rushing down the hallway from which she came. She threw open a door and raced down a stone staircase, not paying any mind where she was going until she reached the bottom.

As she ran off the staircase, she collapsed to the floor, nearly in tears. She covered her face with her hand and trembled slightly, trying to push her husband out of her mind. The sounds of a deep voice whispering frantically found her. Arwen turned and looked down the long, dark hallway to see the last door slightly open, light pouring out onto the floor. She stood up and silently stepped down the hall, moving towards the door where she caught glimpses of Gandalf the White, pacing back and forth inside the room.

She stuck her face in the door, making herself unknown, and watched the wizard race back and forth from book to book, flipping through pages, rushing around nervously. This scene cut Arwen down to her heart and terrified her mightily.

After finding her voice once again, she declared, "They would have returned by now with Buffy." Gandalf froze after hearing her soft, fleeting voice as it struck a chord inside of him.

With his back to her, he answered, "My dear queen, this is nothing for you to be concerned about."

Arwen pushed the door opened and rushed into the room after hearing this bold-faced lie as she declared, sounding more like a queen than a child, "It is my husband I am concerned about! Face me and dare to repeat the words you have just said." Slowly, Gandalf turned towards her and saw her desperate face.

"Please," Arwen begged, "tell me what has happened."

Gandalf turned around and faced the wall once more, his voice unusually shaky and indistinct. "Something has… happened," he began fearfully. "Something has… gone wrong. This problem must be corrected, or…" He let the words fade away.

"What has happened?" Arwen asked, shaking her head.

"I am not certain," Gandalf answered, "but everything and everyone must return to its place, or…" The words faded off once more.

"What is it?" Arwen pushed. "They will not return? The world will be destroyed? What?"

"Their world will be destroyed," Gandalf declared slowly, knowing there was no way around it. "Their world… and every other."

* * *

Xander Harris sat up in his hospital bed with Willow sitting on the end, a large white bandage covering his left eye socket. Willow tightly held his hand like a caring mother as Buffy Summers stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, still minding the invisible barrier in between her and her friends.

"The, uh, doctor said that despite everything," Buffy slowly announced, "that, uh, you seem to be healing well. You should expect to see some bruising when you remove the bandages…" Buffy's eyes left Xander once more, her friends noticing this move, "Bruising around the… area. The, uh, bone structure was hit pretty hard. The muscular tissue—"

"Okay," Xander declared deeply, cutting her off. It was painful for him to hear Buffy wishing that she wasn't here telling him these things. He could feel his trust for her slowly slipping away as he struggled and clawed to keep hold of it. "That's okay, Buff." he declared. "We saw _Daredevil_ – apparently, the only thing I have to do is sew myself a costume. Or at least half of one."

Buffy pushed a smile. "Well, they say that they'll release you as early as tonight. We're just waiting for some tests to come back. They'll… probably be here in a few hours."

"That's great," Xander smiled, also having to force his own façade.

She nodded at him from the doorway, inching ever so slightly backwards out of the room. "Okay," she answered. "We're all set then." Buffy reached over and picked the files that Willow had retrieved from the police earlier that morning off the table near the door. "Thank you for these," she said to Willow, holding the files up. "I'll bring this back to the house, crack it open."

"Oh," Willow answered with surprised disappointment. "You're leaving?" She looked from Buffy over to Xander with a hurt face, then turned back, "I thought… you were going to stay… like, card games or something? Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are outside the door, right? Maybe they'd like to learn?"

"I just," Buffy nearly cut her off, closing her eyes. "Uh, I really need to get back." She searched frantically for an excuse until it came to her. "I want everyone to get started on these files," she added. "I think we may find something important."

"It's okay," Xander declared. "What can you do when it's got to be done? I'll… see you tonight, maybe."

Buffy nodded slowly as the last word rested on her tongue, "Maybe." She then quickly turned away and walked out of the room with the files underneath her arm. Willow and Xander watched her go with heartbroken faces as Willow turned to Xander.

Buffy walked down the hallway quickly, announcing to the others without even looking at them, "Let's go." Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, who had been standing in the hallway with Spike, looked at each other strangely, and then the three Fellowship members followed Buffy down the hall without another question. Spike watched them go with suspicion. While still in the shadows, he peeked back into Xander's hospital room.

"So…" Willow began, trying to clear the fog, "I guess you're stuck with me for another heart-stopping, breath-taking, death-defying game of Uno—"

"She's really going, isn't she?" Xander flatly said, staring at the wall. "She's going back to Middle Earth with the Fellowship."

Willow tried to think of something positive to say, but she couldn't. "Yeah," Willow said, tears welling up in her eyes. Her voice, full of despair, meekly stated, "Wouldn't you?"

From outside the door, Spike's eyes grew wide at this statement as everything seemed to fall into place. He swallowed hard, feeling as if he were swallowing fire.

* * *

Buffy walked into the foyer of her home as Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas walked in after her. She went into the dining room and laid the file down on the table as Dawn walked up to her. "How's Xander?"

Buffy turned towards her sister and had to push another positive expression on her face. "Um… good. Good. He's, uh, he's ready to come home."

"What'cha got?" Faith asked as she walked into the dining room, followed by Amanda and Kennedy. The rest of the Fellowship walked into the dining room as well and listened to the conversation.

"Giles and Willow were able to get this from the police," Buffy answered. "Caleb's definitely not new to the game. I want to find out where he's been, what he's done."

"How was Xander's mood," Dawn asked, sitting at the table, "you know... exactly?" Buffy turned away from her and continued to sift through the papers, ignoring her. "Did you talk to the doctor about the medication, because it seemed—"

"Hey, pipsqueak," Faith stepped in. "Why don't you go get some of the stuff you've already gotten from Giles?"

Dawn looked at Faith, then looked at her sister's back, taking the hint. "Okay." she nodded, hurt. "We can talk about this later."

"Okay," Buffy answered, still not facing her for a second. Dawn walked out of the room as Buffy swallowed hard and then ordered, "Try to find anything that looks like Caleb. His church, his ring—"

"His ability to render a Slayer useless with one punch," Kennedy announced idly. Buffy looked up at her with hurt eyes as Aragorn turned from Buffy to Kennedy and back again. Faith and the Fellowship frowned or shook their heads as Kennedy struggled to recover. "I… I didn't mean it," Kennedy began, "I-I don't know why I said that. That was stupid."

"No, um," Buffy answered, looking away and sounding as if she were holding back tears. "It's okay… I… I have to go to the school and get the rest of my things, now that I think of it. I'll leave this to you."

Buffy walked passed her friends out of the dining room and out of the house, closing the door loudly. The final slam rang in their ears as Kennedy continued to stand next to the table with the papers in her hands, feeling as stupid as ever.

"Aragorn," Frodo faintly whispered. He looked down at the hobbit as Frodo stared up at him with worry in his eyes. "You must go with her. Now." Aragorn could see the warning in his eyes, and then could feel it in his own heart. With a nod, he turned and left the house, following Buffy out.

* * *

Buffy Summers walked down the hallways of her old high school to see lockers and papers scattered throughout the darkened hallway. It was a nightmarish version of her already nightmarish school. She walked down the hallway until she approached her own office and stepped inside, feeling as if she were walking into a tomb – something not uncommon.

Everything about the room seemed empty. She realized then that everything about her life felt empty. Approaching her cubicle, she tiredly sat down in the chair at the desk, her mind awash in memories. Her eyes found a picture frame propped up on her desk, and she reached for it and gazed down at the picture.

It was of her, Willow and Xander outside of the old Sunnydale High School… her first year in Sunnydale, she could remember. Everything seemed so simple then. And since then everything had changed. She looked down at Xander's smiling face as sunlight poured over him and she could feel her eyes stinging with pain.

Weakly, she touched his face as her heart ached terribly. She could stand it no more; she couldn't bear to have him stare at her that way. She closed her eyes tightly and wished that everything would disappear.

"It wasn't your fault," a familiar voice said. Buffy opened her eyes and turned to see Aragorn standing in front of her desk, staring down at her. She looked back down at the picture of them.

"No," Buffy shook her head, her voice quiet and weak. "I guess it's not. But I can't help but feel… like I'm responsible." She thought for a few moments, then answered darkly, "I _am_ responsible."

"When one leads an army," Aragorn replied, "they can only hope to leave with their life."

Buffy shook her head and declared with bitterness, "More lessons on how to be a general." She stood up from her seat and demanded of him and the world with exclamation, "So is _that_ what it is? One giant tally of who lived and who died?"

"Don't lessen me to that," Aragorn softly answered. "I, too, have had the misfortune of leading companions into battle." He stared down at the floor as he remembered, "Watching fear grasp them. Watching them suffer. Watching them die."

Both Buffy and Aragorn were silent, and each of them in their own ways was afraid. She gazed down at the picture on her desk, her eyes beginning to glaze over as she quietly asked, "How do we do it… and survive?"

Aragorn was quiet and still as he mused over the question and finally, after many seconds, gave an answer. "I am not sure." He shook his head.

"I don't think I can do it anymore," Buffy declared, her voice getting deeper and more waterlogged with emotion as she gazed at Xander's face. "The price is too high." She looked up at Aragorn, "I know no one sees it, but every time one of those girls dies – every time one of my friends gets hurt – a part of me dies with them. They don't deserve to be in this position. None of them deserves this."

"And you, Buffy?" Aragorn asked. "What do you deserve?" Buffy's eyes went wide and damp as she stared into the darkness across from her. Silence fell upon them like a drowning river, pushing them further apart. And yet, Aragorn could see in her eyes the same woman he saw in Middle Earth – the same vulnerability, the same tenderness.

"Aratoamin," Aragorn began, his words like the wind in her ears. As he spoke, she suddenly was not aware that he was speaking a language other than her native one, but the words poured into her ears and she could understand every single one.

_"Return home,"_ he said to her. _"To your real home, where you are needed just as much. The affairs of this world are far too grave. I fear that it will not last, and you will perish with it. I do not want this to be your fate. Please return with us now and we shall retrieve the others—"_

"Stop," Buffy whispered calmly.

Aragorn replied, "Buffy—"

"Just stop," Buffy declared with anger now in her voice. Aragorn was taken aback as she opened her eyes and glared up at him, "You don't understand anything, do you?"

"Perhaps I don't," he answered with surprise. "We are allies, Buffy. But you've been nothing but hostile." Buffy turned away from him and began to nervously pace across the office as Aragorn, not having any idea what to think anymore, shook his head and continued, "I-I mean, I could… understand your bitterness—"

"You understand nothing," she snapped, whipping around to face him. "You don't know me."

"That is becoming clear," he angrily answered. "I once knew who you were. Who you _are_ is entirely different."

"It's called 'destiny,' Aragorn," Buffy spat at him. "I'm sure you know a thing or two about it."

"The difference between you and I," Aragorn began, calming himself once more, "is that I at least believed in my destiny… something that you no longer seem to have."

"You know what," Buffy icily stated, "you're right! I _have_ changed! So don't think for a second that you really know a damn thing about me."

"This I do know," Aragorn got into her face and angrily countered, spitting out the last two words, "my _lady_. When I learned of Frodo and Sam's survival after the Destruction of the Ring and looked at all I had been blessed with – the survival of the entire Fellowship – I vowed that I would never lead them into danger again. Yet here I am. I've led them across time for you. I led them into peril—"

"Then go home," she boldly cut him off with a livid tone. Aragorn stared at her with a stunned expression that melted away into one of pain. Finally, his hurt expression transformed into one of anger as he turned his back on her and left the office without saying another word.

Buffy watched him go, then plopped down in her office chair and continued to stare at the picture, her heart breaking. "See, look at that," another voice said from inside the office. Buffy looked up to see Caleb approaching her desk. "Women just don't know how to treat a man nowadays."

Buffy's eyes were wide on him as he stared back at her with a lopsided smile. "What? You gonna cry? Scream? I'd sure like it if you did."

"Get out," Buffy ordered.

"Now, now." Caleb shook his finger at her. "You'll not be showing me the same kinda manners you showed your gentlemen friend a few minutes ago." He strolled idly around her office, gazing at certain things. "Now tell me, who are them folks that came down to see me today? They're not from around here. Not that I'm not friendly to foreigners, even though most haven't quite found the light of the Lord – how did they come about this forsaken town?"

"Dunno," Buffy answered. "Maybe Fed-Ex has extended their routes."

"I've no time for your curt little jokes, young lady," Caleb answered. "I asked a question and I expect you to answer it to the best of your knowledge."

"Damn," Buffy frowned, "and I've really been striving to make a good impression…"

"Speakin' of which," Caleb responded, "how's dear Xander?" She glared up at him as he smiled down at her, "Now you tell him he's in my prayers, and when he feels ready, I'm more than willing to poke out the other one."

"Come near Xander again," Buffy darkly threatened, "and I will end you."

"Now what'd I just say about manners?" Caleb answered. "Do they know what's eatin' away at you? They probably don't." Buffy was deeply unsettled as he spoke to her about her life, taking the utmost pleasure in all of it. "Now tell me once more, I've heard it before… what was that boy's name? Sad story his was. But that's what happens when you're mixed up in the dealings of a harlot." Caleb searched through his mind, playing with Buffy's in the process. "Now, dad gum it, what was his name?"

Buffy leapt out of her seat before he could finish and punched Caleb in the face. He laughed as she tried to kick him, but he simply grabbed her leg and grinned at her. "I'm gonna take pleasure in taming you," he laughed and threw her through the window of her office. She flew across the hallway and smacked into the lockers, knocking her unconscious.

"Oh," Caleb laughed, "_now_ I remember his name. Sad, sad story his was… Such a shame to have ended so soon."

* * *

Aragorn marched into the house and slammed the door behind him. He walked through the foyer and reached the living room when suddenly two hands grabbed him from behind and slammed him against the wall. Spike grabbed him by the collar and glared into his eyes.

"Unhand me!" Aragorn ordered.

"Not 'til we have a little talk," Spike spat. Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry rushed into the living hearing the racket as Legolas tried to pull Spike away. Spike shoved the elf back and then grabbed a hold of Aragorn once more. "Where do you get off tryin' to take her away from us, you bloody ponce?"

Legolas ripped out his bow and arrow as Spike turned to him and challenged, "Shoot me, if you want to, Goldilocks! It's not gonna scare me—"

Aragorn pushed Spike away and grabbed him by the collar declaring to him, "I know that you love her." Spike stared at him with confusion in his eyes. "And for that reason I know what you would think of me." Aragorn nearly hissed, "But know that she is yours to keep!" He shoved Spike away into the other wall as the vampire stared at him blankly. "We are allies no more," Aragorn declared.

"What?" Merry asked. "I don't understand—"

"There is nothing to explain," Aragorn snapped. "She has her crystal if she decides to return. This place is none of our concern. We're leaving as soon as night falls." Legolas turned to Aragorn in shock, but said nothing as he put away his arrow.

"You're right, Aragorn," Gimli announced with finality. "If she wishes to stay, who are we to break that? Let us be on our way!" Merry looked down at the floor with sad eyes as Pippin turned to him, for once knowing not to say anything to him.

"If we leave then our mission has failed," Frodo announced strongly. Aragorn turned towards him in confusion. "We cannot leave her behind."

"It is done, Frodo," Aragorn declared.

"Wait a second, Mr. Frodo's right," Sam added. "If we're just going to leave her behind, what've we come for?"

Aragorn shook his head. "There is no use for us being here!"

"Then I suggest you make yourselves useful," Giles declared as he stepped into the living room. "Spike, I have a mission for you."

"Oh, really?" Spike asked. "Is this one where you try to kill me? Because I don't enjoy those so much."

"This is bona fide," Giles answered, handing him a picture from the police file, "with real ramifications."

"What are we to do?" Aragorn asked.

"I'd like you to accompany Spike to this church," Giles answered. "Unfortunately, it is not near. We've found several imprints of Caleb's ring in photographs of the church."

"Think our boy's got something there for us?" Spike asked.

"Possibly," Giles answered. "I need people who can handle themselves in hostile situations." He turned to Aragorn, "One last mission before your departure."

Aragorn stared at him hesitantly, then he looked at Spike, then back to the rest of the Fellowship. "Very well," he finally said. "One last time."

Andrew walked into the living room wearing oven mitts and an apron as he crossed his arms and whined, "Mr. Giles, Faith stole the last pizza-and-mozzarella-flavored Hot Pocket even though I called dibs on it."

"Take Andrew," Giles declared.

"What?" Spike and Aragorn both exclaimed.

Pippin gazed at Andrew and rolled his eyes, sighing to himself, "Oh brother…"

* * *

Minutes before the sun set in Sunnydale, Buffy Summers lightly limped her way in through the front door of her home, bruises covering most of her back and left side. She looked up and gazed around the living room to find it eerily vacant of anyone. "Hello?" she whispered, anxiety pulling at her.

"Buffy," a soft voice called from the kitchen. She turned around to see Giles walk out of the dining room and come towards her with deep concern in his grey eyes. "Buffy, are you hurt?"

Her eyes found his. "I… I'm fine. Caleb came back for another round."

"My God," Giles gasped, "is he—"

"Still able to make me see cartoon birdies fly around my head?" Buffy replied. "You betcha." She sighed tiredly as she replied, forgetting for a few moments the bad blood between her and her former watcher. "The short lack of consciousness was nice while it lasted. I feel rested." She looked up at him, "Um, those police files… did we find anything?"

"Uh, yes," Giles said, lifting his cup of coffee. "There's evidence Caleb may have established a foothold up north." Buffy nodded as Giles nervously and subtly submitted, "I, uh, sent Spike to look into it."

Buffy's eyes met his in a flash as she suddenly dropped her yester years tone and got back on the defensive. "Spike?" she repeated, her green eyes narrowing on him with a sarcastic tone. "Is this a mission that you intend for him to come back alive?"

"Yes," Giles answered, finishing his sip as he set his coffee mug down. "I sent Andrew with him."

"Again I ask the question," Buffy responded.

"And Aragorn," Giles answered. "I assure you, Spike is backed up by the entire Fellowship—"

"You sent them?" Buffy cut him off with an icy tone. Giles was thrown off his guard as he gazed down at her in confusion. "What the hell were you thinking," she demanded, "letting them go off like this!" Her stomach turned over and she couldn't finish her sentence as she gripped the doorframe of the living room entrance.

"I was thinking," Giles explained, "that decisions have to be made in your absence."

"Yeah," Buffy shot back, "it's those that scare me the most."

Giles' head tilted as he stared at her, feeling her words were completely uncalled for. "Buffy," he tried to reason with her, "we are all trying to help—"

"Really?" she answered sarcastically, then added. "That's not exactly how I see it."

Giles asked, "What, are you saying that you don't trust us?"

"Where did everyone go?" Buffy asked suddenly.

"What," Giles shook his head, "why?"

"Where did they go?" she demanded from him.

"Oh, uh, well," Giles stuttered his response, "F-Faith… thought that t-the girls could use some time from their studies… so… she…" Buffy crossed her arms, not amused with his attempts to water down her anger as he sighed and answered simply, "She took them to the Bronze."

Buffy glared at him coldly as she marched out of the house, heeding the pain in her body no more. She ripped open the front door and slammed it behind her. Giles jumped at the sound as suddenly the light bulb in the living room lamp exploded, leaving him in the dark.

* * *

Faith and the Potentials were outside of the Bronze, battling seven police officers at once. Faith flipped off of her back onto her feet and kicked one of the officers in the stomach as Kennedy and Amanda punched an officer to the ground. Faith served a mighty punch to one and knocked him out, then threw another into the brick wall of the side of the building.

She ducked underneath the billy club swing of one, then jumped up and punched him in the abdomen. He sunk down to the ground in pain as she caught the club of another young officer and kicked him against the wall. She grabbed the stick and banged it across his throat, knocking him unconscious as he sunk slowly to the ground.

Faith, Kennedy, Amanda, Dawn and the rest of the Potentials looked around at the unconscious officers as the fight ended. The sound of rapid, steel-heeled boots marching down the alleyway towards them caught their attention. Faith turned to see Buffy walked up to her with a fierce glare.

"Faith!" she demanded as she viewed the scene. "What are you doing?"

"Just blowing off steam," she answered, staring down Buffy defiantly. "Well, at least, it started out that way. Cops went all evil on us."

Kennedy swaggered up to her with an angry pout, "Buffy, lay off. It was the cops—"

"Shut up," Buffy bit off as she kept her stare on Faith. "Girls, go home. I need to talk to Faith alone."

Dawn meagerly replied, "Buffy, we weren't—"

"Dawn, you too," Buffy answered, again without looking at her. The girls slowly walked away down the alley, the entire group moving at the same, bummed speed as Buffy and Faith stood still staring at each other. When most of them left back down the alley towards home, Buffy finally said, "What is this?"

"They needed a break, all right?" Faith answered.

"No," Buffy shook her head, her face burning with heat. "A break is one thing – I get blowing off steam… but this? Going out and starting fights!"

"We didn't start—"

"And some of those girls were drunk!" Buffy snapped. "What the hell were you thinking? What if someone had gotten hurt?"

"They didn't," Faith shrugged, rolling her eyes.

"This is just like you!" she accused. "Five by five and livin' large. Too 'bad' to bother figuring out the meaning of the word 'responsibility.'"

"Nobody got hurt, B," Faith shouted back, then calmed herself as she explained. "You don't even know these girls. They're just as scared as you and me in the exact same place as us. So why don't you have a little more faith in them? Show a little confidence, let them screw up every once in a while—"

"Don't try and explain learning from your mistakes to me," Buffy declared with a dark bitterness inside her voice. "You just don't throw children into—"

"They're not children," Faith cut her off, loosing her patience.

Buffy stared at her wide eyed for several seconds before she said matter-of-factly, "That really isn't the point." She turned around and began to march away from Faith, walking back down the alleyway.

Faith looked up from the ground and called after her, "What about the vineyard?" Buffy froze in her steps. "How safe were they then?" Faith demanded as she slowly approached Buffy from behind. "How safe was Amanda or Rona? How safe was Molly?"

The last word skewered her so deeply she could feel herself flinch. But her heart was no longer attached to the rest of her body. As if on reflex, she spun around on her heel and punched Faith hard in the jaw. A coldness rested on Faith's chin as if she'd been knocked to the ground with a block of ice. Faith knuckled her bruised jaw as she looked up and saw Buffy stomping away in a painful rage.

* * *

The door to the Mission of Saint Jude burst open and was reduced to splinters as Aragorn entered with his sword drawn, Legolas at his side with his arrow tightly held at bay. "Good work, Batman," Spike announced, striding into the empty room freely. "You killed the unlocked door."

Aragorn looked down at the shattered door pieces on the floor as he sighed and placed his sword back in its sheath. "The idiosyncrasies of this world are beginning to wear off on me."

"We are alone here," Legolas announced as he intensely scanned the candlelit, stone walls of the mission.

Spike looked at Aragorn, "Now think about those last two statements, mate, then get back to me."

"Is the coast clear?" Andrew whispered fearfully as he peeked his head in through the doorway.

"It's all right," Aragorn announced, turning towards him. Andrew remained in the doorway, still frozen with anxiety.

"That means move it," Merry declared behind him, giving him an impatient shove.

"Ow," Andrew whined as he moved out of the way and let Gimli and the hobbits into the room. "Sorry," he began, rubbing the small of his back, "it's just that places like this give me the creeps."

"Ha!" Gimli let out a hearty laugh. "Whether it be the Gates of Mordor or the Elfish stronghold of Lorién – no place strikes fear into the heart of me!"

"That's good to hear," Spike idly answered, scanning the area.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Sam asked, with his short sword still in his hand.

"Anything," Spike sighed. "Preferably anyone that can lead us to the good preacher."

Legolas turned towards a dark hallway with a start and stared down into the darkness intently. "What is it, Legolas?" Aragorn asked.

Legolas' eyes narrowed as he explained gravely, "Blood has been spilled in this place."

Spike joined him, the smell striking his nostrils. "Tell me something I don't know."

"We are not alone," he answered.

Spike turned towards him, surprised. In a flash, Legolas ripped out his bow and arrow once more and spun around, facing a bloodied and beaten monk. "Wow," Spike remarked. "Spot on."

"Don't shoot!" the monk begged as he collapsed on the floor. Aragorn reached down and sat the beaten man upright as something caught his eye. He pulled back the man's hood to reveal a symbol burned into his cheek.

"This mark…" Aragorn began, "I've seen it before. On the stabbed girl's neck." He looked back towards the monk, "The priest – Caleb – he did this to you?"

The shivering monk did not answer. "Come on, speak up," Spike demanded. "Or are you one of his boys, too?"

"My soul is not his…" the fading man whispered.

"What happened here?" Frodo asked softly.

"I-I can't…" the teary-eyed monk shook his head. "I'm sorry… I can't…"

"Do not be afraid," Gimli declared. "We're here to fight this… Caleb. But we cannot succeed without your word."

"You can't fight him…" the monk shook his head, his tears streaking through the blood on his face. "No one can. You can only run."

"Sorry, padre," Spike shook his head. "That's not exactly how we run things. Now talk."

"I'll do better," the monk declared, swallowing hard. "I'll show you." Aragorn helped the monk to his feet as he reached for a candelabra nearby and the monk limped down the dark hallway, leading them to a chapel. "Several nights ago, a man came to our doorstep, tired and hungry."

"And you welcomed him?" Pippin asked.

"We are a benevolent order," the monk explained painfully. "And yes, we offered him food and shelter. But he had other intentions." They arrived in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary as the monk pulled out a stone in the wall, triggering the statue to shift out of the way, revealing a stone plaque placed into the stone of the wall.

"He found this lever and revealed something that we did not even know existed," the monk continued. "He was ecstatic – ranting on about destiny and whatnot, but then once he read the plaque, he was overcome with anger." Spike took the candelabra from the monk's hand as he walked towards the plaque and the monk continued. "His temper," he said, clearly chiller to the bone. "He was the purest evil I've ever seen. The words enraged him and… he burned me. I ran and hid, and… listened to the others die."

"This language," Aragorn shook his head, staring at the inscription, "it is not any that I have ever seen."

"It's Latin," Spike answered, slowly reading it.

"Well," Merry asked inquisitively, "what does it say?"

"'It is not for thee,'" Spike read, "'it is for her alone to wield.'"

"What is for thee?" Frodo asked.

Spike read the next part, confusion settling into him, "'The Choice… the Weapon… and the Power."

* * *

"Welcome home, Xander," Buffy announced as he broke away from Dawn's embrace. Xander, Willow, Anya, Dawn, Giles, Faith, Robin and the Potentials were all gathered in the Summers' living room and present for Xander's welcome home sorta-party. Buffy had just joined them as Xander sat down on the couch with a bandage still over his left eye as Buffy added, "I wanted you to be here for this. I think you'll be interested in what I found out."

"W-what did you find out?" Willow asked with a confused frown.

"I did some thinking on the way back home tonight," Buffy began, pacing through her foyer and into her living room as her army listened. "It's… about the cellar. I know that night wasn't fun for any of us, but I figured out some things tonight and now I realize what we have to do." She turned towards her friends with her arms crossed and a determined glare in her eye. "We're going back in."

The words came out and fell upon them like a ton of bricks. Willow looked down at Xander nervously as Giles gave Buffy a concerned look. She caught it immediately and began, "Look, I know what you're all thinking, but I had a visit at the school today from Caleb."

"Buffy," Dawn began with deep concern, "why didn't you—"

"I'm fine," Buffy cut her off, not allowing her that. "I-I mean it wasn't fun, but I'm fine. Anyway, I couldn't figure out what he doing at the school."

"Do you think it's the Seal?" Robin asked.

"Should we try shutting it down again?" Willow asked.

"That's just the problem," Buffy answered. "We've spent all our time worrying about the Seal and the Hellmouth. If that's the sore spot, then why isn't Caleb there all the time protecting it? Why instead is he camped out at the vineyard ten miles away? The bad guys always go to their power, so if the Seal was that important to Caleb and the First, they should be there right now guarding it. They're protecting the vineyard… or something at the vineyard. I say it's their power and we should go right now to take it back from them."

Xander and Willow both looked away from her as Giles uncrossed his arms and sighed. "Or the alternative," Faith declared, "how 'bout we don't?" Buffy turned towards her as she explained, "Look, it's a neat idea, B, but I'm not going back in there without proof. Neither should you and neither should anyone else."

Buffy shook her head slowly and said with a little sympathy, "I'm not saying this is going to be easy—"

"I think Faith had the floor," Robin boldly and coldly cut her off. Buffy looked up at him with surprise, stunned into silence.

"Maybe this all works out," Faith continued, "maybe we beat the bad guys and give a toast to the times. But there's too big a chance that it won't for us to be gambling like this."

"Did you come here to fight?" Buffy asked incredulously.

"Of course I did," Faith declared strongly with irritation. "But I came here to fight something real, not—"

"Windmills," Giles sighed, removing his glasses.

Buffy turned towards him with wide eyes and finally declared, "There is something there."

"Maybe," Giles answered, "but we can't be sure. It-it's a hell of a lot to ask."

Robin crossed his arms and sat back. "Maybe too much."

Buffy stared at them as if she'd just been pushed off a horse. "I don't understand this," she declared with jaw agape. "For seven years I've kept us safe by doing this… exactly this. And now it's like you can't trust me?"

"Weren't you the one who said that you couldn't trust us?" Giles asked. "I seriously think there's something there that needs to be addressed."

"Is that why you send Spike and the Fellowship away?" Buffy asked, feeling the sense of betrayal grip her yet again. "So you could all gang up on me?"

"Just shut up!" Rona declared, irritated, as Buffy's eyes snapped towards her. "Look, I am sick of hearing about this Spike guy… and the Fellowship of the Crusade… or… whatever. Why are they even here? What good are—?"

"Don't!" Buffy hissed with a deep, painful darkness in her tone. "Say… another word." Rona reeled back, at once afraid of the Slayer who was supposed to protect her.

"Don't even try," Kennedy said to Rona. "God forbid you say anything about her heroes."

"What did you say?" Buffy declared, turning towards her.

"Exactly what everyone's thinking," Kennedy declared. "You don't really care who lives or who dies, you'll jump into any plan you can think of." Buffy stood still and staggered as she continued, "I mean, does it really matter to you? _Should_ it matter? No matter what happens here you've got a free ticket out."

"Kennedy," Willow declared, horrified. "I told you that was a secret."

"Why are you always defending her?" Kennedy snapped.

"I'm not!" Willow answered, standing up, despair coming over her.

Buffy's tired eyes rested upon her best friend, her heart ripping open inside her chest. "You're not?" she softly whispered.

"Look, Buffy," Willow's frown dipped even further as she turned towards her. "I-I get it. I… I guess in a lot of ways… I made a mistake bringing you back." Buffy breathed hard as Willow meekly continued, "I-I mean, the-the First wouldn't have the power to take over if we didn't bring you back. And I know you're unhappy…"

Dawn's eyes fell to the floor as she swallowed toughly. Xander continued his motionless gaze, his eyesight glued to the ground. Willow continued, "But lately… I'm… concerned about your judgment."

"I wish this could be a democracy," Buffy announced, finding her voice once more. "I really do. But democracies don't win battles. There has to be a single voice. You have to have someone to lead you—"

"And it's automatically you," Anya declared as Buffy turned to her. Anya's expression was both cold and incredulous as she observed, "You really do think you're better than us?"

"What?" Buffy answered fleetingly, as if the breath had been removed from her lungs. "No, I—"

"But we don't know," Anya continued, much to Buffy's discontent. "We don't know if you're actually better. I mean you came into this world with certain… advantages. That's the whole legacy. But you didn't earn it. You didn't work for it, you've never had anyone come up to you and say that you deserved these things more than anyone else. They were just handed to you. That doesn't make you better than us. That makes you luckier than us."

_Like the little boy who stuck his thumb in the duck_, she remembered the strange random thought of her and Angel sitting on a bench in a graveyard four years ago, before he explained that story was about a dam. Buffy could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at Anya, but she tried holding them back as if she were standing in front of a tidal wave.

"I've gotten us this far," Buffy whispered, loosing her ground figuratively and emotionally.

"But not without a price," Xander declared. She turned towards him with wide eyes, begging, pleading him not to deliver the final damning blow. "I'm sorry, Buff," Xander whispered, pushing beyond his own guilt with the justification for hers. "I'm trying to see your point of view." He swallowed and answered with enough pain for the both of them to share, "Must be a little more to my left."

She looked away from him quickly, not being able to stare at him another moment. "Look," she began wearily, "I'm willing to talk strategy. I'll hear suggestions on how to break this down… but-but this is the plan…" Buffy took another deep breath, "We have to be together on this—"

"We are clearly demonstrating that we are _not_ together on this!" Giles roared with discontent.

"Which is why you have to fall in line!" Buffy barked, glaring at all of them. "I am in charge here."

"Why is that, exactly?" Rona asked.

Buffy turned to her, shocked she would even ask the question, but quickly remembered the default answer. "Because I'm the Slayer—"

"And isn't Faith a Slayer, too?" Rona asked.

"What?" Faith declared, caught completely off guard. "Whoa, whoa, whoa… I'm not in charge here, chick. I think B just needs to… chill out a while, take a siesta or something, I don't know. But I'm not the one you want."

"Maybe we need a vote," Kennedy suggested. "To see who wants Faith to be in charge from now on."

"No," Buffy sternly declared.

"No, what?" Kennedy challenged, all fired up with courage now.

"No…" Buffy repeated with bitter coldness. "You don't get to vote until I've had my chance to… pal around with you, take you out drinking, braid your hair, bake you cookies—"

"Learn their names?" Faith added.

Buffy shot a deep glare as the acid hit her old wounds, "Oh, you're just _lovin'_ this, aren't you?"

"Hey, you know what," Faith shot back, "you've got no idea what I'm feeling right now—"

"Come in here," Buffy added with a blatant meanness, "take everything from me. You've done it before! Did you tell them that? Hey, guys, did ya know Faith used to kill people for fun? You guys think _that's_ nifty?"

"Buffy, enough!" Giles reprimanded her as he used to do in high school.

"I didn't come here to take _anything_ from you," Faith spat, now fully offended. "I came here to join the team – however that works. I don't know if I can lead, Buffy. But the real question is: Can you follow?"

Buffy was stunned into silence once more. For that question, there was no default answer she could think of. "So we vote," Robin smoothly replied, solving the problem right away.

"Wait," Buffy looked up, for a second sounding like she was begging mercy. "Guys…" She let the woods fade away as she searched each of their faces, looking, struggling to find anything that could give her strength. Anything that proved they still believed in her. "I just can't watch… I just need…" She couldn't pick one sentence until she zeroed in on one, "I won't just stay here and watch her lead you into some disaster!"

"Then you can't stay here," a quiet, reserved voice announced.

The simple truth was that at that moment, everything she knew, believed, held on to… vanished like torn paper in a blaze. Dawn quietly stood up, standing taller than her sister – her blood, her hero and champion – and looked tearfully into her eyes. "I love you, but you were right," she sighed. "We have to be together on this. You can't be a part of that…" Buffy stared at her in disbelief, this being the unkindest cut of all. "So I need you to leave," Dawn condemned. "I'm sorry, but this is my house, too."

Buffy stood several seconds in front of her sister, motionless with her mind cut off to the world. She finally turned away and walked to the door without looking at another face, but they all saw hers. Her eyes were deader than they had ever been – even as a corpse.

She grabbed her jacket off of the rack in the foyer, her body being controlled by some force, random thoughts that didn't make sense to her. Buffy opened the door to her house and stepped outside, walking into the hot air of the mid-May night. Tears rolled down her numb cheeks as she wrapped her arms around her and stepped down the stairs off her porch and into the lonely night. She walked away from what used to be her home as a terrible realization came over her. She had finally fulfilled her destiny as a Slayer:

She was alone.


	10. Power

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**10. Power:**

A group of three dozen Bringers were gathered below the floor of the wine cellar at the vineyard, in a dark cavern where they dug endlessly at the walls with pick axes and welding torches. Caleb stood over them, overseeing their work with a sly smile on his face. A slender, petite figure emerged from the darkness and approached him from behind, her blonde hair falling off her shoulders as if were a veil of gold.

Caleb felt the cold shiver down his spine and knew who he was in the presence of. "I was hoping you'd bring me some better news," Buffy/The First declared, strolling up next to him.

"I wish I had some," Caleb answered. "But all good things come in time."

The First eyed the tireless working and asked, "Is this going to do anything special or just make the Bringers sweat?" The First crinkled her nose as she looked up at Caleb. "Do the Bringers sweat?"

"Actually, I think they pant," Caleb answered. "More like dogs. And I don't know exactly what we'll get out of here, but we've got to try everything to get it."

"And if the Slayer gets it first?" The First grinned, playfully watching him squirm.

"She won't," he bitterly answered.

"Not like it'd matter much if you failed at that last part," The First hinted as she paced around idly. "I've got a new toy of my own." Caleb turned to Buffy/The First with confusion splattered on his face, but he turned back to the digging, concerned with his own work.

* * *

Faith, Giles and Willow walked up the stairs from the basement where they held a captured Bringer into the kitchen where Xander, Dawn, Anya, Amanda, Rona, Kennedy and a few others were gathered.

"So what do we do with a dumb Bringer?" Faith asked with a tired sigh.

"Well, I know he's the enemy…" Amanda began, "but it's a little low to call him dumb—"

"He's mute," Giles explained.

"Oh." She blushed and silenced herself.

"We're back!" Andrew announced from the foyer, as if he'd just suffered a long day on the range.

"Joy." Giles rolled his eyes and put on his glasses just as Andrew marched into the kitchen.

"Hi, everyone," Andrew grinned as he was followed by Spike and the rest of the Fellowship. "I missed you guys a lot. I hope everyone's here because we've got tons of stories—"

"We've got a lead," Spike cut him off.

Andrew looked over at him, hurt. "Well, just ruin the surprise ending."

"Where's Buffy?" Spike asked Giles. The other Scoobies turned away, refusing to make definite eye-contact.

"Um," Dawn slowly began, "she's… not here."

"When she gettin' back?" Spike asked.

"Uh…" Willow stepped up before the crowd and tried to explain, rubbing her palms nervously. "Well, you see… while you were all gone, we… uh, got together and w-worked some things out."

"What are you sayin', Red?" Spike asked in confusion as the Fellowship listened closely with concern.

"Well, we, um, decided that it would be best if Buffy took a little… break," Willow replied. Spike stared at her, stupefied for several seconds. Willow gazed back at him. He knew the truth and so did she. After several more seconds, she turned slowly and retreated back to her corner, not being able to shake her shame.

"So what you're really saying is," Spike glared at them all suspiciously, "you all _decided_ that too many chips have fallen for your liking." For the first time he felt as if he were above the so-called champions in the room with him. "What's the word for it… she was 'let go.'"

"I don't understand," Frodo replied, looking around. "What has happened?"

"Let me put it differently," Spike answered. "These whiney little backstabbers didn't like the way Buffy was running things. Guess it was too hard for them. So they threw her out."

"We're her friends," Willow exclaimed, appalled.

"Oh, _that's_ ballsy of you," Spike shot back. "Friends? There's a word for what you bloody idiots have done—"

"Mutiny," Aragorn softly answered. The Scoobies turned to him to see nothing short of shock and pity in his blue eyes, as if he were staring into the face of atrocity.

"That's not how it happened…" Willow shook her head, firmly denying it almost to the point of tears.

"You don't understand the situation, Spike," Giles declared.

"Oh, I'm sure I do, _Rupert_," Spike answered, spitting the last word at him.

"Hey, why don't you calm it down and save your lack of breath?" Faith declared to Spike, stepping in before he had enough ammo to fire.

"You want to make me?" Spike threatened.

"Wow." Faith stared at him with an awed smile. "It's kinda cute the way she made you her lap dog in less than three years."

Spike stepped up to her. "You little—"

"You're all fools," an angry voice suddenly announced with the deepest of calm. Faith and Spike immediately turned towards the source, along with both the Scoobies and the rest of the Fellowship. Pippin turned towards his best friend, stunned at the sudden change: the once-peaceful hobbit was now standing strong with wide, blue eyes raging with angry.

"Merry?" Pippin asked, uncertain and fearful of the sudden change.

"How could you do this?" Merry glared at the faces of Faith, Willow, Xander, Giles, Dawn and Anya.

"Step off, Mini-B," Faith shook her head, tired of all the confrontation. "You don't know—"

"I know that you're a coward," he darkly spat. "A power-hungry coward." Faith gazed at him silently, showing only the slightest bit of pain in her eyes from his words.

Aragorn softly replied with his eyes on the floor, "That's enough…"

Faith began, "I wasn't trying to take—"

"Yes, you were!" he sharply answered as he then directed his words towards the other Scoobies. "You _all_ were. That's all you do!" Merry, his voice reaching its limit, declared with disgust, "No one has to be in this world very long to figure that out. You all look so different on the outside… but on the inside you're all the same. You take. That's all you are for. And when something happens everyone looks around for someone to rescue you. To-to lead you!"

Kennedy simply answered, as if the overthrow of power was a simple democratic transaction, "Now we have someone to lead us."

"You already did," Merry bit back.

"Yeah," Rona scoffed. "To lead us right into danger."

"Of course!" Merry answered like it was as clear as day. Anger at their stupidity filled his voice. "What did you expect? _That_ is your destiny! Where else are you to go but into danger?" Frodo looked over at him, the bewildered expression fading into one of sympathy. Merry's voice softened, his desperation showing ever so slightly as he explained, "She led you into danger, but did you all forget that she was the one in the lead? The first hit, the first casualty is hers. It was _her_ that danger had to cross before any of you ever saw it and retreated in fear."

"She didn't try to understand us," Anya announced. Xander looked over at her as if he were begging her not to answer, but she didn't catch the look. "She was too busy with the burden of being better than the rest of us."

Merry stared at her silently and peacefully before he finally answered, "She is better. Is she supposed to be ashamed of that?" He glared at each of them, despising everything about the situation, about what had happened as a realization came over him. "She loved it in our world," he declared, staring at the Scoobies deeply, especially Xander and Willow. "She was happy." Willow turned away as tears rolled down her cheeks. "And now I see why. What's ordinary in your world – your weaknesses, your jealousies, and your cowardice – is not in ours. She's extraordinary. Beyond your world. Beyond all of you. Not because of a destiny or some silly title – but because of one thing. Sacrifice."

Dawn swallowed hard, feeling as if something had died inside her stomach. Willow kept her eyes on the floor as she felt warm tears fall from them. Kennedy touched her shoulder, and Willow could only pull away. Xander was still and unmoving, his skin as cold as ice. Giles finally took his eyes off of Merry and removed his glasses and wiped his forehead. Anya's arms were wrapped tightly around her, her face as stiff as stone.

"That was moving," Faith declared, breaking the guilt train that each of them truly knew was inevitable. "You done?"

Giles reprimanded her softly, "Faith…"

"No, I get what this is," she shook her head. "Kid's got a big crush so he's here tootin' the horn of justice for his beloved Buffy."

Merry glared up at her, a flash of anger in his eyes as he pulled his foot back and kicked her swiftly in the knee.

"Ow!" Faith called out in stinging pain as she dropped to one knee.

"Merry!" Sam exclaimed.

Faith looked up at Merry. "You little—" She jumped up and lunged for him as Spike jumped in between them and punched her squarely in the mouth. The force of the hit knocked her into the kitchen island and on to the floor.

"Stop!" Giles flared, his voice booming.

Faith looked up at Spike as she was subdued by Giles' call. He glared down at her as he stood before Merry protectively with his fists balled up. "You make that move," Spike declared, "and I'll make you wish Buffy was here to stop me." Faith kept her gaze as he stared at her fiercely for several moments of intense silence.

Aragorn took Merry by the shoulder. "Let's go."

* * *

The moon glittered down light on the nearly deserted town of Sunnydale as Aragorn quickly paced down a street, flanked by Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Sam. The rest of the Fellowship followed Aragorn, unaware of where they were all going. During the long walk from the Summers' home to their current position, Pippin cast Merry dozens of concerned looks as his stone-faced friend followed Aragorn without question.

"Merry," Pippin whispered gently. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know," Merry declared, remains of anger still in his voice.

Pippin backed off of him and turned to Gimli, "Where are we going?"

"I'm not sure, lad," Gimli worriedly answered. "Just… try to keep up." Several minutes later, the Fellowship arrived at the gates of Shinra Cemetery, the oldest and biggest in Sunnydale. Aragorn pushed the gate open and marched inside, passing the endless rows of tombstones and monuments until he came to a fairly large clearing in front of a chapel.

"Aragorn!" Pippin rushed up to the head of the line, whispering to him. "Aragorn, where are we going?"

"Have each of you your crystals?" he asked the entire group, ignoring the young hobbit's question. Pippin stopped and looked down at the leather pouch on his hip as he nodded, confirming a positive answer along with the rest of the Fellowship. "Remove them now," Aragorn announced as he reached for his white crystal.

"Wait, where are we going?" Pippin asked.

"We're going home," Aragorn answered. The Fellowship was thrown suddenly in a wave of bewilderment and disorder.

"What?" Pippin asked in shock.

Merry spat angrily, "Home?"

Sam shook his head, "Strider, surely you don't mean—"

Merry cut in, "You can't just—"

"Enough!" Aragorn shouted, silencing them all. "This is nonsense. Our mission was to find Buffy Summers and make certain that she was in a place that suited her."

"This is not her place!" Merry objected.

"Nor is it ours!" Aragorn bit off with a whisper. "We cannot remain in this world forever. Do you see now what our presence has already caused?"

"Our mission was to rescue her and she is not safe yet!" Merry answered defiantly.  
Aragorn began to answer forcefully, but he pulled back and simply replied, "I will not argue over this."

"Merry is right," Frodo declared, catching Aragorn's attention. Sam turned to his friend as Frodo slowly stated, "No matter where she belongs, this is not finished. When they came to our world, they made it their mission to save us from our enemies." Frodo swallowed hard, "From ourselves." He looked back up at Aragorn. "They are _all_ in peril now."

"We cannot save them all," Aragorn answered. "Hasn't that been proved? Not Willow… Not Spike… I couldn't stop Caleb from mutilating Xander…"

"No, you couldn't," Frodo answered. "And you may be right in saying that we cannot save them all from this fate. But she can. And maybe we all can together."

Aragorn looked down at him, "You would will me to save her from some unknown, invisible enemy that she will not stand and fight herself?" The anger disappeared from his voice as he sadly shook his head. "It is noble, Frodo. But it is folly." Legolas turned to him suddenly, his blue eyes fixated on him as he sighed tiredly and continued, "We must leave with haste."

"I am not leaving," Frodo declared with finality. The rest of the Fellowship stared at him with shock.

Sam shook his head. "Mr. Frodo…"

Aragorn continued to stare at him in silence with pity in his eyes. "This is no place for a hobbit alone," he regretfully stated.

"He won't be alone," Merry answered as he crossed his arms and stood by Frodo.  
Pippin turned to Merry as if he were insane. "Merry?"

"Enough of this foolishness!" Aragorn announced, his patience wearing thin. "We are _all_ leaving, Meriadoc." Frodo and Merry stood defiantly before his presence.

"If we are to be moved," Merry replied, "then by all means, my King, move us."

Aragorn saw beyond their seemingly defiant betrayal for what it really was. It was an act of honor. One that Aragorn knew unfortunately he could not let stand. Pity filled his blue eyes as he stared down at them. "Very well. If that is your wish."

"You'll have to move me, too!" Pippin declared, looking up at Aragorn. He was aghast as he then turned to Sam who stepped in line behind Frodo.

"I'm sorry, Strider," Sam declared as he gazed up at him. "Where Mr. Frodo goes, I promised to follow." Frodo turned towards his friend, about to object when Aragorn said what was on his mind.

"Think of your wife, Sam," Aragorn shook his head. "What of she and your unborn child?"

"She knows I can't leave," Sam answered. "I couldn't face her. Not until it's done."

"Why don't you understand?" Aragorn nearly shouted.

"Why don't _you_?" Legolas declared. Buffy could've described the moment perfectly as Aragorn and the other members of the Fellowship turned to the elf prince: 'Like a Boeing 747 full of pink elephants just crashed in front of you.'

Legolas explained the situation clearly to Aragorn, "A grave enemy threatens her life. And you would turn away, not out of fear, but of spite?"

Aragorn shook his head. "Legolas—"

"If that is the King I serve, then I can no longer follow you," Legolas added. Aragorn stared at his friend in astonishment as Legolas, his eyes full of alarm, stressed a phrase in the language which Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry and Gimli were not accustomed to. After saying it, Aragorn turned away, staring at the ground as he swallowed hard.

"If we do not act with haste," Legolas shook his head, "her enemy will defeat her."

"Who is this great enemy that you speak of?" Aragorn asked, turning to him. Legolas gazed at him with a solemn, knowing expression, full of pity for the Slayer.

* * *

Darkness covered the house that sat on 1167 Shepard Lane – one that belonged to Max and Katy Braswell. The couple left town with the rest of the population only hours before Buffy strolled her way into the open living room door.

She now sat on the edge of the queen-sized bed in the master bedroom, as the moonlight illuminated her view. The power in the town of Sunnydale was out for good and now it was covered in literal darkness, too.

The unusually shaped white crystal rolled around in the palm of her tiny hand as she gazed down at it, her eyes brimming with cold tears. Slowly and finally, she let the crystal fall out of her hand and hit the wooden floor. She pulled her eyes off of it and gazed into the lonely darkness, as if it were a gigantic set of jaws that was slowly consuming her.

"There you are," a British accent said from behind her. Buffy's eyes widened, surprised to hear Spike walk into the bedroom. "Do you realize that I could just walk into this house, no invite necessary?" He scoffed and shook his head. "The town really is theirs now."

Buffy gave no reply as he walked into her point of view. "I heard," Spike answered. "I was over there not long ago. That bitch. It's all about smiles and reformation when you're on your feet, but the moment you're down it's all about the kicking isn't it?"

"It wasn't just Faith," Buffy softly answered. "It was all of them." Her eyes were fixated on the transparent satin curtains as she gazed outside. "Besides… it's not like they were wrong." She looked up at him. "Please leave."

Spike stared at her unmoving. "No." His eyes brightened. "Hey, this will make you happy. You were right. Caleb's been hiding something from you. I think it's at the vineyard." Spike continued to stare at her. She wasn't reacting to his information at all.

"I don't feel very right," Buffy answered finally.

"You were their leader, Buffy," Spike replied, "and you still are. It's not something that you gave up; it's something that they took away."

"And the difference is?" she asked.

He declared with a smile, "We can take it back."

Buffy looked up at him and flatly answered, "No."

"No?" Spike replied.

"No," she declared.

He asked, "You mean 'no' as in 'eventually?'"

"I mean 'no' as in it's over, Spike," Buffy declared with a tired finality. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't hear the news?" a voice said from the doorway. Spike and Buffy turned to see Aragorn standing in the shadows, along with Frodo, Merry, Legolas, Gimli, Sam and Pippin. "Apparently," Aragorn continued, "it's not over yet."

Buffy stared at them, stunned as she whispered, "I thought you guys left…"

"We couldn't leave you," Merry said, as he and the others entered the room. "Not like this."

"I agree with Spike, Buffy," Aragorn declared simply. "You must return home."

"Please," Buffy closed her eyes as if those words were stabbing her in the side. "Just… go." The Fellowship gave each other worried glances as Aragorn looked over to Spike. The tired vampire's eyes fell on the floor with pity as he wondered if she was just too far gone this time.

"We're not going anywhere," Gimli declared as if he were humored by her suggestion. "Not until you explain yourself."

"I failed," she answered very meekly as Spike looked up at her once again. "There's nothing else to explain."

"Not that," Gimli saucily declared with a tone of accusation. "My lass, you've changed. I demand you explain how you came to be this way."

A flash of guilt sparked in Spike's eyes as he turned away from her and swallowed hard. "I…" Buffy began, her throat also as dry as a desert as she let the words fade away. "You wouldn't understand."

"Since when?" Pippin asked.

"Please, Buffy," Merry compassionately pleaded with a gentle look in his eyes. "You must trust us. Tell us the truth."

"Truth is," Spike began with difficulty with shame in his voice, "she doesn't belong here." Buffy's eyes shot over to him instantly, surprised at his answer. "She was better off in… Fairy Tale Land, but… no one wants to say it. She was miserable here. Nobody wanted to see it. We ignored it or…" Spike, his eyes still on the ground, shook his head as his heart ached openly for the world to see. "Or took advantage of it." Buffy stared up at him motionlessly as she felt her eyes sting. He painfully admitted, "It's a bloody shame what we've done. What _I've_ done—"

"I can't hear this," Buffy cut him off suddenly.

Spike looked up at her, cursing her for making this harder, "I'm tryin' to—"

"I know exactly what you're trying to do," Buffy exclaimed as she stood up off of the bed. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli exchanged confused glances while the hobbits stared in bafflement, but no one was quite as perplexed as Spike. "I can't let you," Buffy breathed as tears brimmed her eyes. She raised her voice in revolt, "I can't let you take the blame for the things I've done!"

Spike was silent for several moments before he blurted out in bewildered awe, "Have you _completely_ lost your mind or does it just come and go?"

"Ms. Buffy, I-I know you can stop this," Sam shook his head, trying to defuse her bomb. "We believe in you. You can stop—"

Buffy turned to him with eyes full of despair as she slowly declared with a crushed heart, "I am not your hero!" Her voice rang like the tolling of a distant bell in their ears as a new revelation came over them. Her voice, filled with a dangerous mixture of rage and agony, shakily added, "I am _no one's_ hero." Buffy sniffled as the realization to herself set in. "I can't save you. I can't save them."

Aragorn glanced over at Legolas, now beginning to understand what he had meant in the cemetery. Frodo stared up at Buffy, his giant blue eyes taking her emotion to his heart, as he watched the first tear roll down her cheek.

"I couldn't save Xander," Buffy declared, her voice breaking as she began to ramble. "I-I couldn't save Molly or-or Lauren. I couldn't save Cassie, or… or Willow or… Tara." Her voice quieted down to a whisper as she said the last name. Her voice shattered into a river of tears as she declared with ultimate anguish, "I couldn't save him…"

Her legs gave way beneath her as she collapsed on the corner of the bed, her hand shamefully hiding her tear-soaked face. Spike gazed down at her through narrowed, inquisitive eyes as he gently asked, "Couldn't save who?" Frodo continued to watch the destructed woman in front of him. Not a single one of the Fellowship could pull their eyes away from her. There before them, trembling in her own tears was their hero and Slayer – their Champion.

Frodo breathed in a slow breath as he gazed at her, his eyes full of both understanding and pity. "Boromir."

The sound of the name – the one that no one had dared to speak for so long – had the power and energy of a bolt of lightning, and left the emotional devastation of the greatest tragedy they had ever known.

Aragorn, his eyes full of mourning misery, tenderly began as he lightly shook his head, "Buffy…"

"Everything I touch turns to dust!" Buffy declared, finding her strength to speak among the detestation for herself. "I-I promised… I promised them I would protect them and… I failed." She let out another sob, but shoved it away, anger piercing her voice as she declared through gritted teeth, "And I can't stop. I can't stop… not until I make amends. I… I can't forgive myself." She gasped, her anger burning up what little energy she had left as she calmed herself once more and returned to the dead-eyed girl she had been when they found her.

Buffy looked up at the faces of Frodo and Aragorn, then Sam, Merry and Pippin, and finally Gimli and Legolas. "I can't be your hero anymore," Buffy shook her head, full of exhaustion as she emotionlessly stated. "I'm a monster now."

The sheer lack of feeling in her voice chilled each of them to the bone. Even Spike, who had felt the price for true evil, did not expect such emptiness inside of her. The memory of Buffy Summers walking freely with down the hallway of Sunnydale High School with her friends flanking her, and a smile that could light up the room flashed in his mind. Even when he wanted to kill her, he loved that smile. It was gone now, seemingly forever, and no one saw it coming or knew what to say.

Except for one.

"Aren't we all?" Frodo asked quietly as Buffy's eyes met his slowly. He gazed at her with a peaceful expression as he explained, "We all have something to atone for. We all have weaknesses. Boromir did. He died to save us all. To save you. He found his redemption." A tear ran down her cheek as Frodo tenderly declared, "It was his choice, not your fault. He died so that we would have the choice to continue." Frodo's dark brow crinkled as he shook his head. "If we falter now, he has died in vain."

Buffy swallowed hard and sniffled once more, meekly replying, "I… I'm afraid to…"

"Of course you are," Frodo replied soothingly. "It takes more than opportunity to make a choice, Buffy. It requires courage." He stepped closer to her as he whispered, "I would not have fought my battle if you had not given me the courage to do so."

Buffy stared into his eyes and remembered standing on the tower with Dawn as the world was ending around them and suddenly seeing Frodo being pulled away from the edge of a cliff by Sam.

"We must both live," Frodo continued. "We must both fight. Until it is finished." He gazed at her with understanding. "_That_ is our redemption, Buffy. Not to die, but to live."

"For him," Spike added with utmost respect. "For all of them."

Buffy took a deep breath, for the first time feeling her heart beat again – and it beat with a true purpose. Aragorn looked around the room, then said caringly, "It is late. We should all take rest while we can." He walked out of the room and one by one, each of them followed him out, Frodo being the last of the Fellowship to turn away from her and go.

"Get some rest, Slayer," Spike declared, alone with her now. "You've got a war to win." He turned and headed for the door, but was stopped by her eager, yet near silent voice.

"Spike?" she asked.

He turned around to her. "Yeah?"

Buffy's eyes dwindled up to his. "Do _you_ believe in me?"

He thought about the question, then replied, "Does it matter?"

"Yes," Buffy answered right away, her eyes stinging again. She nodded gently. "It really does."

A warmth came over his still heart as he stared down at her and answered truthfully, "There's nothing in this world... that I believe in more." He gazed at her, unable to turn away from her beauty and he felt that emotion that he begged to push away. He moved for the door again, yanking his eyes from her.

"Spike?" she called again, and he faced her once more. "Can you…" The words faded away as she shyly asked, "Hold me?" Spike's eyes rested upon her lovingly and he walked towards her and sat beside her on the bed. He scooted back to the headboard as she curled up in his arms and they rested gently and innocently together until he watched her fall asleep, knowing for the first time that he had her trust.

* * *

"You have come to it at last," Galadriel's warm, full voice declared. Buffy opened her eyes and was standing in some sort of stone temple illuminated by golden firelight. She gazed around at the pillars and walls covered in what appeared to be Egyptian hieroglyphs. Before her, Galadriel stood in between two fiery torches, gazing at her intently. "The beginning of the end," Galadriel added.  
"What is this place?" Buffy asked, intrigued by this tomb straight of _The Mummy._  
She answered simply, "The darkest corner of the secret of your destiny."

"Secret?" Buffy repeated with confusion. "What secret?" Galadriel stared at her quietly, subtly raising a brow. "Oh," Buffy frowned. "_That_ would've been too easy, I guess."

"You must take control and fulfill your purpose," Galadriel stressed momentously as the two women stood alone among the darkness. "Every moment of your life – every battle, every choice, and every heartache – has led you to this fight, this day." A chill went down Buffy's spine as she declared, "It is time to understand the reason for which you, Buffy Summers, are chosen."

A shadow of worry crossed her young face as Buffy asked timidly, "What if I fail?"

The Elf Sorceress' blue eyes filled with grave concern as she darkly answered, "Then all shall fail. All shall fall." Buffy's eyes fell to the ground as her heart beat quickened in her chest. She finally found the courage to look back up at Galadriel as she declared, "This is your destiny. This is your choice. This is your power." The beautiful elf stepped closer and leaned to her, tenderly adding, "Fear not the Darkness when it stands in your path, Buffy."

Buffy gazed up at her in confusion as Galadriel added knowingly, "The greatest enemy you have… is yourself."

* * *

Buffy's eyes popped open as she lay in Spike's arms, the gentle sounds of the quiet twilight encasing them. Her eyes rested upon his pale and peaceful face and did not move for quite some time. In that moment, she did not want to leave for anything. Slowly and gently, extra careful not to disturb him, she slipped out of the sanctuary of his arms.


	11. Wield

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**11. Wield:**

Frodo gasped as the hobbit's blue eyes opened wide with terror. Bodies, like scraps of paper, were consumed and in a massive ball of fire and were carried off with a wind inside a dark cavern. Galadriel's blue eyes opened and gazed at him intently and he swore he was once again standing in her presence in Lothlórien.

Aragorn grabbed his arm and jerked him awake as he struggled and gasped, letting out a final scream. "Be at peace, Frodo," Aragorn whispered to him, grabbing his shoulders and holding him still. "It was only a dream."

"Mr. Frodo," Sam exclaimed, "are you all right?"

Frodo's eyes rushed around the darkened living room from corner to corner and person to person as sweat beaded down his face. "Mr. Frodo?" Sam called again.

"I saw…" he began, fearfully. "Fire."

"Fire?" Gimli repeated, standing next to the hobbit's makeshift bedding: a blanket applied to a few couch pillows on the Berber carpet.

"A… a giant ball of fire…" Frodo whispered.

Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas glanced at each other nervously. "Like the breaching of the wall at Helm's Deep?" Gimli suggested.

"Did he have a vision?" Pippin eagerly asked.

"I fear his vision may soon become reality," Legolas declared. Aragorn turned to the elf as he stood apart from the group, cautiously peeking through the drawn living room curtains to the street outside. "The air is thick with danger. The rising sun beckons its call."

"But the sun is rising," Gimli shrugged. "The period of greatest danger has passed."

Frodo looked up at Aragorn desperately. "It's Faith. Something is going to happen; I feel it in my heart."

Aragorn stared down at him for a few moments, then swiftly decided, "We shall see to her safety." He turned to Legolas, Gimli and the other hobbits and declared, "We must awake Buffy at once."

"She's gone," a voice called from the staircase. They turned to see Spike with a look of dread upon his face walking down the stairs with a white piece of paper in his hand. "She's gone to fight Caleb," Spike added, holding up the note. "Alone."

* * *

Caleb, standing inside of the wine cellar, looked up as he heard a crash. A Bringer toppled down the staircase and landed on the dirt floor unconsciously. Caleb and Buffy/The First both gazed up at the petite silhouette as a beam of golden sunlight washed over her from behind. "Hey," Buffy said with her hands on her hips and a cocky perk in her tone. "Heard you had something of mine."

* * *

"Okay," Faith declared with an axe in her hands as she stood in the foyer of the Summers' residence, "you guys know the drill. Those of you who are coming with me, you know who you are. The ones that are checking up on B, stay invisible."

The army of Potentials, along with the rest of the Scoobies stood steadfast as they anxiously chewed her orders. Dawn turned to Faith humbly and meekly said, "I'd like to go with you."

Faith sighed, "Look, we already—"

"Yeah, I know," Dawn cut her off, the meekness gone. "But I can help you more than I can help Andrew bake cookies. I'm going." Both girls turned to Andrew at that point to see him give them a dirty look, crossing his oven mitt-clad arms.

Willow argued, "The Fellowship could've found Buffy by now. I'm sure that we could spare one on our recon team. Dawn could go with you."

Faith shook her head. "B wouldn't—"

"'B' isn't in charge," Kennedy sighed with frustration. "You are. So let her go."

Faith gave Kennedy a warning glare, then rolled her eyes, saying to Dawn, "All right, fine. Let's move."

* * *

Caleb glared at Buffy menacingly as a smile stretched his lips. "Figured you would get a little restless and would come back. It's practically the way of the Slayer. You all seem to enjoy pain."

Buffy strolled down the stairs, gliding over them slowly one by one with her arms crossed as she asked blatantly, "Where is it? You know I'm gonna find it sooner or later."

"It's not for you," Caleb snapped defensively.

"Actually," The First added calmly. "It is."

He retorted at it, "Whose side are you on, anyway?

"My side," The First declared firmly and calmly. "And now… you're on your own." Before Caleb could protest, The First vanished into thin air, leaving the ex-priest and the Slayer alone.

"Aww," Buffy frowned, "what's the matter Caleb? Loose your cheering section?"

Caleb regained his composure quickly, brushing the problem off, and turned to her with a smile. "You mean nothing to me," he affirmed. "We both know that all I have to do is lay a hand on you and you're just another dead little girl."

Buffy gazed at him dangerously from beneath her blonde brow as she answered, "All right. Lay a hand on me. If you can." Caleb stared back and accepted her offer with a twisted grin.

Caleb drew his arm back to swing at her as she felt a tingle in the back of her brain. Suddenly, for no apparent reason that she could think of, she felt as if she were weightless and a hole was forming in the pit of her chest. For a second, she was no longer in the world physically.

She struggled to concentrate as she saw Caleb's fist moving towards her, but then felt another urge. She closed her eyes tightly and leaned backwards. Caleb swung but blind Buffy shifted out of his way like air and front-flipped over him, Caleb's momentum throwing him into a barrel of wine. He turned to face her again as Buffy straightened out with her eyes still closed and her back to him.

He rushed to strike her from behind, when she dived forwards and rolled in a somersault to her feet. Like she was as light as a snowflake, she ran and leapt up at least fourteen feet in the air to the top of a mountain of stacked barrels as Caleb ran after her. She raced across the tops of the barrels, her feet barely touching them as her eyes remained closed.

Caleb looked up to see her moving with inhuman quality and was astounded despite himself. He turned back to his path movements before he smacked into a barrel, busting it to pieces and toppling over on the wine-covered ground.

"Caleb, what is she doing?" The First declared, appearing once again as Buffy. "What's happening to her?"

"I don't know!" he declared as he pushed himself up. "She just… snapped."

"Well, snap _her_!" The First shouted.

"I'm trying!" Caleb answered. "Would you stop distracting me?"

"Fine," The First replied. "Go. Kill."

* * *

Faith led the Potentials and Dawn down a dark tunnel beneath the vineyard with their flashlights drawn as they stayed tightly huddled and moved as a cautious group. Dawn's flashlight caught the reflection of a shiny piece of metal that caught her eye.

"Hey, guys," she whispered. "There's something down there." Faith got in front of Dawn and was the first to venture to the end of the tunnel as all flashlights turned towards an array of axes, swords, lances, crossbows, and many more medieval weapons.

Vi walked up to the table and picked up a sword. "I don't get it. Why would they just leave all this?"

Faith's flashlight shined to the corner to see a blind Bringer growling at them. "Maybe because they didn't," she answered as the other girls gasped with fright.

Suddenly a couple dozen Bringers jumped out and engaged the girls in a battle almost completely shrouded in darkness, save for a few fleeting flashlights. Faith turned to Dawn in the darkness as she punched a Bringer away. "Dawn, we're trapped. Go look for a way out!"

"I'm not leaving!" Dawn shouted back.

"Just go!" she ordered. Hesitantly, Dawn finally turned around with her sword in hand, slashed a Bringer across the throat and raced back down the tunnel in the opposite direction.

* * *

Buffy backflipped over another one of Caleb's blows as she jumped up on another barrel, up to the wall and sped across a rafter, landing on the floor behind Caleb. He gazed at her with disgust and horror. She kept her eyes closed tight, unable to open them as she ducked beneath two of Caleb's swings.

* * *

Dawn ran as fast as she could in the dark, the fear of more Bringers gripping her. A hand grasped her arm as she screamed and swung her sword at it only to hear it clash with a harsh metal ching.

"It's all right!" Aragorn declared grabbing Dawn by the arm as Anduril blocked Dawn's sword. "Dawn, it's us." Dawn shined her flashlight at the familiar faces of the Fellowship as they crowded around her.

"Don't be afraid, lass, we're here," said Gimli.

"Why are you running?" Merry asked. "Is Buffy all right?"

"No, I… I don't know," Dawn breathed heavily. "They're being attacked by Bringers."

"How many?" Legolas asked.

"A lot," Dawn shook her head tiredly.

"Wait, who's being attacked?" Aragorn asked.

"The Potentials!" Dawn answered. "And-and Faith!"

Frodo looked up at Aragorn urgently. "We've got to help them."

Aragorn turned back to Dawn and ordered, "Lead us to them."

* * *

Buffy dived over another barrel and rolled to her feet. Crouching down, she opened her eyes for the first time since the fight began. Her green irises began to glow and eerie light blue. With a quick blink, the glow was gone and she was left confused as to what the hell just happened to her.

"Whore!" she heard from behind her as she came to a quick stand and faced Caleb again.

"You know, you should really watch your language," Buffy quipped. "If you're not careful, people might get the idea you're a vulgar, woman-hating jerk."

Caleb shoved a wine barrel out of his path and a wooden hatch in the ground swung open. A loud high pitched noise emitted from it and grated Buffy's ears raw. She cupped her head and grunted, nearly being brought to her knees by the wretched sound. Caleb paused and gazed at her with even more confusion than before, but then continued, seizing the opportunity to crush her. He lunged for her, but she rolled underneath his grasp, slid across the floor and disappeared into the hole as the hatch closed after her.

* * *

Faith plowed her sword through the last Bringer and ripped it out with ferocity. She looked around to survey the damage at count heads. So far she still had all of her Potentials with her. "Someone's got to go back and get—"

"Yo, Faith," Kennedy cut her off. "I think I found something."

Faith turned to Kennedy as the Potential stood near the wall with her flashlight shining on a hidden door. Faith walked up to the door and pushed it open, leading the rest of the girls down a creaky wooden staircase into a dark labyrinth.

* * *

Buffy walked down the stone ramp into the shadows of another cavern lit harshly by a single torch. As she approached the torch, her eyes caught the sight of a glittering piece of metal. She froze in her steps, and was captivated by it.

It was an axe… or axe-shaped… with a mean-looking blade dug into a black, volcanic stone. The edge of the blade was silver with the outer tip curving out into a dagger of sorts, while the metal binding the blade to the handle was red. On the end of the silver handle there was a wooden stake that had been fastened on. This was truly a weapon of the gods and it glistened and sparkled in the firelight, taking the breath of the Slayer away.

A smile formed across Buffy's lips as she stared at it hungrily, ready at once to claim and wield what was hers.

* * *

Faith's flashlight shined around the labyrinth to an opposite wall where a metal box sat alone on the other side of a walkway over murky water. Faith crossed the walkway carefully, the flashlight lighting her dim path, and approached the metal box, gazing at the combination lock latching it closed. She kicked the lock on the box, breaking it with ease. Faith kneeled down in front of the metal toolbox and lifted up the latch.

"No! Don't!" Frodo shouted as he raced into the room with Aragorn, Dawn and the rest of the Fellowship behind him.

"Everyone get out!" Aragorn ordered as the Potentials raced out of the room.

Faith had already opened the box to see a crumpled up mass of wiring and several pounds of TNT with a timer that was already on 0:08 seconds and counting down.

The Slayer leapt up and raced for the door as Aragorn pushed the rest of the Potentials and Fellowship out, grabbing Faith and falling over her to protect her from the upcoming horror.

With a mighty blast, a ball of fire erupted and nearly engulfed the entire labyrinth, burning everything it its path to a crisp. The entire vineyard rocked as the labyrinth was covered in darkness.

* * *

Buffy stood in the cave, staring at the axe motionlessly and she slowly began to inch towards it, her fingers reaching out for it longingly. "So…" she heard from behind her. She turned to see Caleb coming down the stone walkway towards her. "You found it. Not impressed. 'Cause the question is now, girlie girl, can you pry it from solid rock before I come down there and—"

With a gentle lift, Buffy grabbed her weapon and pulled it free from the stone. Caleb froze in abrupt terror as he gazed at her with the weapon in her hand and let out a nervous chuckle.

Buffy kept her eyes intently on it as Caleb stood a safe distance away. "Now… before you go breakin' a nail with that thing, why don't you do yourself a favor and hand it over?" he asked.

Buffy turned to him, idly asking, "Yeah? You want it?" She took a step closer to him, chilling him to the bone as he stepped back.

He anxiously answered, "You don't even know what you got there."

"I know you're backing away," Buffy smiled, continuing to approach him.

Caleb swallowed hard as he backed himself up against the cave wall and was forced to stand his ground. Buffy paused and gazed at him menacingly as he replied, "You think wielding some two-sided doodad is going to save you? You'll kill yourself with that thing before you make a show—"

"Let her go, Caleb," Buffy/The First commanded as it appeared beside him. He hesitated, staring at Buffy fearfully. "I said let her go," The First repeated, agitated.

"I let her go and she slices me open with that thing," Caleb answered, not taking his eyes off the Slayer. Buffy looked around the cavern, now sensing that she and Caleb were not alone anymore.

"No, she doesn't," The First assured. "She hasn't got time." The First playfully strolled up to Buffy, the Slayer unaware to it as it whispered in her ear, "Your friends are dying."

The hair on the back of Buffy's neck stood on end as Caleb declared, "I'm not letting her outta her with that thing."

"Sure you are," The First answered. "And you'll come back for it later. When she's got her back turned." Buffy sped past Caleb and ran up the stone pathway, jumping up through the hole and into the wine cellar with her new toy. Caleb and the First stood by and listened to her fleeting footsteps as Caleb burned with anger.

* * *

Small fires burned and electrical wires popped as Frodo slowly pulled himself to a stand in the dusty, destroyed labyrinth. "Hello?" he called, gazing out at the dark horror. "Is anyone there?"

"Us," Vi declared as she and a Potential named Caridad helped each other to their feet. Not far away, Amanda stood up, helping Kennedy, Legolas, Gimli and Pippin to their feet.

"Merry? Sam?" Frodo called, then turned to see the two hobbits appear from the shadows being followed by Dawn.

"We're here," Merry coughed.

"Are you all right, Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked.

"I'm fine, but…" Frodo's eyes widened. "Aragorn! Faith!" He climbed over broken rock and twisted metal towards where he saw them duck down.

"Frodo, be careful!" Dawn called.

"Aragorn!" Frodo called, rushing over the wreckage. "Faith!" He came to their nearly unconscious bodies as he shook Aragorn frantically. "They're here!" he cried. "Aragorn, wake up! Wake up!" Aragorn's eyes opened as he jerked with pain.

"I'm… all right," he coughed.

Faith coughed suddenly, her eyes opening wide as she jerked awake as well. "Ow… God… My leg…"

"You're going to be all right," Frodo declared as Aragorn slowly sat himself up.

Faith breathed as the other Potentials reached her, "I'm getting too old for this." They slowly lifted her up to her feet, Kennedy and Aragorn taking her weight on both sides.

"Everyone's here," Sam announced to Aragorn and Faith. "Everyone's alive."

"Oh, thank you, God," Dawn breathed a sigh of relief. A screeching howl rang out through the dark, burning tunnel. Dawn added, "Oh, help us, God."

"What was that?" Merry asked.

"It's one of them!" Kennedy exclaimed. "One of the Turok-Han!"

"The what?" Pippin asked.

"They're like vampires," Amanda breathed nervously. "But way, way worse!"

"It's moving swiftly," Legolas declared as he gazed intently down a tunnel. "It knows that we're here."

"I suggest that we not be here," Faith ordered. "Move, now!" The girls and the Fellowship took off down a winding maze of corridors as Gimli and Legolas held their weapons at ready, clearing the path for the others to escape. They approached a tunnel that was nearly blocked to the top by fallen debris.

"What do we do now?" Caridad exclaimed.

"Go over it!" Dawn ordered. "Faith first, come on! Dawn and Aragorn pulled Faith over the pile of rocks to the other side. The four hobbits were next, followed by Kennedy, Vi, Amanda and the rest of the Potentials, the most wounded going first.

As the last Potential was climbing over the pile, the hideous Turok-Han appeared and reached out for her. Kennedy pulled her back with a scream as the Potentials huddled together, the Fellowship guarding them. The Turok-Han was perched on top of the pile, gazing at them as it snarled at hissed with jagged teeth and a misshapen, grey, hairless head.

The hobbits bound together tightly as their eyes watched the monster fearfully. "That is one ugly vampire," Pippin breathed.

With a grunt, Aragorn whipped out his sword and threw it across the room, decapitating the monster quickly. The sword buried itself into the ceiling of the tunnel as dust fell to the ground. The stunned Potentials breathed a sigh of relief as they turned to their rescuer gratefully.

"Wow," Faith nodded. "That was pretty cool."

Aragorn smiled as he heard something drop. He looked down to see his leather pouch containing the white crystal lying on the ground. He reached down for it just as his sword flew through the air and buried itself chest-high into the wall that he had been standing in front of. He looked up to see his sword in shock as he grabbed the crystal off the ground and turned to the pile of debris to see two more Turok-Han's standing on top of the pile.

A hiss was heard from beside them as another appeared from the other end of the hallway. They were trapped in between three horrible beasts. Aragorn pulled his sword out of the wall as Kennedy ordered, "Stay together! We can take them! Remember your training!"

Aragorn declared to Legolas, "Ela sen!" _Flank them!_

Legolas drew his bow and arrow and aimed at the single Turok-Han while Aragorn and Gimli guarded the back of the group from the two Turok-Han on the debris pile.

Suddenly, a hole was blown into the roof by a powerful force as it dropped down to the ground behind the first Turok-Han. The powerful force, otherwise known as Buffy, sliced the head off of the Turok-Han with her axe like a hot knife through warm butter. The two remaining Turok-Han leapt over the group of girls and landed several feet away from Buffy, one behind the other. Buffy pulled the axe back and threw it, javelin-like, through the air, the stake end first. The weapon went clean through the first Turok-Han and impaled the other with such force that the creature left the ground and was pinned to the wall seconds before it exploded into a cloud of dust.

The girls stared in awe of their former leader as she wiped the sweat off her forehead and turned to them, axe in hand. "Get the wounded. We're leaving."

"Aratoamin," Aragorn said with wonder and his jaw agape. "How did you…?"

"Is everyone all right?" she asked.

"We're fine," Merry answered, relief on his face. "Now."

"Do you think there's more?" Kennedy asked.

"There's always more," Buffy replied. "Let's go."


	12. Scythe

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**12. Scythe:**

Faith lay back beneath the covers of Buffy's bed as Willow and Xander tucked her in while the makeshift ER raged on beneath them downstairs. Aragorn walked into the room with a bowl that contained a greenish paste. "What's that?" Willow asked as Aragorn sat down beside Faith.

"Herbs from Lothlórien," he explained. "Tremendous healing power. I've already tended to the wounds of the other Potentials; I figured you could use the rest."

"Nurse Aragorn saves the day," Xander smiled, as Buffy walked into the room, still carrying the Scythe.

"How're you feeling, Faith?" she asked.

"Like a bomb went off twelve feet away from me," she answered tiredly. "Lucky for me, King Arthur here went in for the save. I would've been toast. The kind you have to identify with dental records." Her eyes closed for a second, then opened with extreme weight on her eyelids. "I think I could use a little shut-eye."

"That's fine," Buffy replied, then turned to Xander, Willow and Aragorn. "Come on, guys. We've got work to do."

* * *

Buffy, Giles, Willow and the Fellowship was gathered inside of Willow's room while Willow typed away at the computer and Buffy held the weapon for all to see. "I think it's maybe some kind of scythe," Buffy explained. "The only thing I know for sure is it made Caleb back off pretty fast."

Willow grinned, "So it's true. Scythe matters." She let out a playful giggle as she nudged Giles. He looked away from her and rolled his eyes.

"I don't get it," Pippin announced, with a baffled expression.

"Scythe?" Willow explained. "Like size—"

"Okay… another time," Buffy quickly cut in as Willow hushed up.

"And ignoring that comment," Giles replied, "I must say this weapon is purely ingenious.

"Kills strong bodies three ways," Buffy grinned.

"You… feel something when you hold it?" Aragorn asked.

"Yeah," Buffy replied. "Something really strong. I knew it belonged to me. I felt that, too."

"In addition to it being ancient," Giles declared as he held the Scythe, "it's clearly mystical."

"How do you know that?" Frodo asked.

"Well, look at it," Buffy answered. "It's all shiny."

"Maybe it's a true weapon of the Slayer?" Legolas suggested.

"How did something like this exist without our knowledge of it?" Giles asked, baffled as he gazed down at it.

"That's the thing about us good guys," Buffy replied. "We need to work on our communication skills."

Aragorn reverently took the weapon from Giles and held it in his hands. "Such a marvelous object… made with such grace and careful attention to detail. Every edge, every curve made perfect by some… heavenly fire." He shook his head and added, "This is no mere weapon. This is something much more."

"The First's guys really wanted it out of that stone," Buffy replied. "So, Aragorn's right. It is important. We need to figure out what it is and what it's for. And we need to move fast. The end is coming. Really, this time. Sooner than... sooner."

"And we'll remain at your side until the very end, my lass!" Gimli grinned wide.

"Which is noble," Giles said, removing his glasses, "but probably not wise." Buffy and the others turned to him with an inquisitive look. "When Buffy and the others ventured into Middle Earth, they contributed to your journey. But they were not present at the final battle. If this truly is the end, then the consequence having champions of another dimension fighting the final fight… could be catastrophic at best."

"What are you saying, that we might change the future?" Buffy asked, hearing the same old tune.

"We might already have," Giles replied. "And if that's the case, then we haven't even _begun_ to feel the repercussions of that."

Buffy stared at him in silence for a few moments as she remembered her strange experience while fighting Caleb in the wine cellar, and Willow glanced nervously from Buffy to Giles to the Fellowship and back again. "Then we'd better get started," Buffy answered. "Let's kill this before we get to the end."

"We'll get to work immediately," Giles responded.

"We'll find out everything there is to know," Willow agreed.

"Good," Buffy answered. "Because right now this thing's our best hope."

"Oh!" Pippin exclaimed with a proud grin. "Size matters!" His face then contorted with deeper revelation. "Oohhh…"

* * *

"You have come here for the purpose of another," Galadriel declared as she stood in the gardens of Lothlórien. Water poured down around her into the stream that surrounded the garden as the heavenly voices of elves who sang lamenting hymns and vocal prayers for the safe return of the King of Gondor and the Fellowship. "Yet in your heart, you also seek comfort for yourself."

Arwen stood behind her and looked away, "I seek not to comfort myself. I shall bring the one for whom I should really have pity—"

"I did not say that it was indecent of you to despair," Galadriel answered. "It is the love of your life that risks his own so that others may live."

"He is a Champion first and my husband second," Arwen answered, looking away from her. "His duty to honor is more than his duty to his heart. That is the way it should be."

"And what of your heart? What of its pain?" Galadriel asked.

"It means nothing!" Arwen emotionally snapped, raising her voice to an echo. Silence blanketed them again and all that could be heard was the trickling of the water and the distant angelic voices. "I knew that this would come," Arwen breathed sadly. "I knew that choosing the path that I did would lead me to pain and despair. Yet why… why am I so stunned into submission? Why am I so very afraid of what I knew was coming for me all along?"

"You knew there would be a price to pay," she answered slowly. "But not so soon. All you have is time… until your time is up."

"I remember when I believed that the thought of him not returning from Mordor alone would kill me," Arwen breathed as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I know I have already been given so much. I am terrified to ask once again for his return."

Galadriel looked up and gazed forward into the glittering trees of Lorien. "Do you believe that he is capable of accomplishing anything he believes in?" she asked.

Arwen turned to her with a curious, but knowing expression. "Yes," she replied. "More than anything, I do."

"Then have not despair," Galadriel replied. "For he believes that the path he has chosen will lead him home." Another tear rolled down Arwen's cheek as a smile brightened her beautiful face.

"Now," Galadriel answered. "Bring the Halfling forth."

* * *

"Why did you let her go?" Caleb shouted as he threw a barrel across the wine cellar, smashing it to pieces. Buffy/The First stood by, gazing at the damage, then turned back to watch him pace and huff with anger. "You know I can take her in a fight!"

The First rolled its eyes and sighed, "We'll get her, calm down."

"I am calm!" Caleb snapped. "Just wait 'til I get angry."

"Face it, Caleb," The First shrugged. "It belongs to her. It's what she needs to become powerful. Powerful enough to be worthy when we smash her down. But not right now. Right now, she's powerful. She _is_ power. You're just weak."

"Now, I'm gettin' less calm," he retorted, spinning around towards it.

"You just haven't been as strong…" The First hinted. "Not since we… merged."

Caleb gazed at it in silence as Buffy's form pouted and grinned. "Maybe you're right," he replied.

"I know I'm right," The First declared. "Always." It faced Caleb, raised its arms and tilted its head back towards the sky, while Caleb mimicked the same gesture. Seconds later, a massive golden, translucent, twelve-fingered beast with horns and red glowing eyes sprang forth from the First's chest and consumed Caleb, entering his body through his chest. Caleb grunted and twitched as he was possessed with the power of the First and he fell to his knees, trembling.

"See?" the First grinned. "Isn't that better?" It gazed down at Caleb trembling, crouched figure with pride. "And now, there's something you need to do for me." He looked up at it with his eyes completely blacked-out. Two Bringers arrived carrying a bucket and set it down next to them, then scattered off into the shadows again.

"Dip your hand in the paint," the First ordered. Without confrontation, Caleb dipped his hand in the white paint and stood up when it told him to. The First turned its head to the darkness as a Turok-Han appeared from the shadows, but this one was at least three feet larger and 200 pounds bigger than any other of its size. It sounded out, not with a hiss, but with a low growl and kneeled eye-level before the First, so it could look into the Turok-Han's grey, reptilian eyes.

"What for?" Caleb asked, in a deep, altered voice.

"You'll see," it smiled. Caleb walked up to the Turok-Han and placed his hand on its head, leaving a white handprint across its face. "You'll see."

* * *

Rosie Gamgee slowly and nervously walked through the darkened pathway, illuminated by silver moonlight. She followed the stream and slowly tackled each of the descending stairs down into the garden where Galadriel stood.

Once Galadriel came into her sight, she stopped and turned around, flashing a concerned look to Arwen, who stood at the top of the stairs. Arwen simply nodded and gestured her to keep moving. The hobbit woman turned around once more and stepped down the rest of the stairs until she came to the bottom.

Rosie still was not used to seeing so many tall people; this elf sorcereress seemed to stand taller than any she'd ever seen before. Galadriel had her back turned to Rosie as she faced the waterfall with an expression of knowing wonder.

"He-Hello," Rosie nervously began. "I… I was told that you could help me."

"And you have many questions," she slowly replied with a voice both deep and stately. "However, both you and your child truly ask only one."

Rosie reached down at touched her pregnant belly with astonishment, but then she found an understanding and loosened up. "I… understand why he's gone," Rosie began humbly. "I understand his reasons, I do. Really, I do."

Arwen quietly listened from the top of the stairs as she clutched a mossy rock and leaned in to the sound below. "I mean," she explained, "he's a hero. And he's got to keep his word to Buffy, but more importantly to Frodo. He made a promise face-to-face that he would stick by his side no matter what happened. My Sam's a man of his word."

"That he is," Galadriel replied. "But you already know this. The question that troubles you so is of the future. His future."

Rosie bit her lip, looked down and then asked, "I-I need to know, Miss. I mean, with his baby comin' and all… I need to know if he'll ever see his child when it comes." Tears stung her little eyes as she asked, "Will he ever be coming back?"

"There is a plant," Galadriel declared suddenly. "A flower, red as the setting sun. So beautiful that to look at it makes your heart cry out."

"I know what you're talkin' about!" Rosie smiled. "Th-That's the flower that Sam planted for the baby and me before he left. He put it in the flower box outside my window so that whenever I wake up it'll be lookin' at me, and-and I'll look at it and think of him and know he's thinkin' of me, too."

"A gift of love," Galadriel replied, turning around to face the beautiful Halfling woman with an expression of warmth. "I cannot tell you what is to come. The people involved will make that choice for themselves. But I can assure you, however long that plant lives, so lives your husband."

* * *

Faith held the Scythe in both of her hands as she lay in Buffy's bed with her eyes closed. "You feel it, too, don't you?" Buffy asked, standing over her bed.

"Damn," Faith replied, feeling the power in her fingertips. "And, damn, that's something."

"I know," Buffy answered as she stood with her arms crossed next to the bed.

"It's old," Faith nodded, staring at the Scythe. "It's strong, and it feels like… like it's _mine_." Her smile faded as she looked up at Buffy, who silently stared at her. Faith sighed and handed the Scythe back to her, "Guess that means it's yours."

Buffy began with sympathy, "It belongs to the Slayer."

She picked up the Scythe as Faith replied, "The Slayer in charge. The one that makes all the big choices around here. Which, I'm guessing, is you again."

Buffy raised her eyebrows and sat tiredly down next to Faith, "I… I honestly don't know. Does it matter?"

"Never did to me," Faith shrugged. "Someone's gotta lead; let's vote for Chao-Ahn. It's harder to lead people into a death trap if you don't speak English."

"It wasn't your fault. Same thing could've happened to me."

"Yeah, but—"

"People die," Buffy affirmed. "You lead them into battle, they're gonna die. It doesn't matter how smart you are, or how ready you are. That's war. Stupid, needless death. There's no choice in it at all. It's gonna happen."

"What if there was?" Faith said as she stared out into the darkness. "What if you could control whether or not people died? Make through a battle without death?"

"Well, if you could," Buffy replied. "I think we've already failed."

"I've always thought I've wanted what you had," she said sadly. "To be _Faith_ the Vampire Slayer. To be the Chosen One. To live your life with your buddies. But then, there I was. I was the leader and… I've never felt so alone in my entire life."

"Yeah," Buffy simply answered, re-crossing her arms.

"And that's you," Faith understood, "everyday, isn't it?"

"I love my friends," Buffy began, "but the truth is… they can't understand. No human, no witch, no hobbit can really see what we've seen. They can't make the decisions we've made. I mean, I deal. What can I do? But it's still a burden that we share alone."

"And no one else can feel it," Faith nodded. She looked up at Buffy. "So, let me get this straight," she asked, "when you, you know, died, you were actually in another dimension? What's it called, Middle Earth?"

"Yep," she sighed.

"How long?"

"A little over two years."

"You didn't have to be the Slayer, did you?"

"No." Buffy remembered her life in Middle Earth with a hint of pain. "I didn't have to be anybody," she said. "Just Buffy. And I was among family… so that was more than enough."

"Must have been nice," Faith frowned. "So that's why your family's come back to get you? To… save you?"

Buffy turned to her with surprise. "How did you know?"

"You kidding? Not really that hard to tell." Buffy turned back to the floor and stared down at it in contemplation. "So…" Faith asked, "you going back?"

"No," Buffy shook her head and softly answered.

"You're not?" Faith replied. "Not that I'm calling you a deserter or anything, but it's just… why not?" Buffy silently thought about the answer to that question, but Faith, just by looking at her face, could already tell what the answer was.

* * *

Spike opened the door to the Summers' home and entered a darkened foyer where sleeping bodies were scattered throughout. He looked up the stairs to see Buffy walking down in her heeled boots carrying the Scythe in one hand. "Honey," he scoffed, "you're home."

"Yeah," she frowned in reply.

"And you fulfilled your mission," he answered. "Found your Holy Grail. Or your Holy Hand Grenade or whatever the hell that is."

"Right now we're going with Scythe," she answered. "Like it?"

"Well, pointy, sharp and wooden is not exactly my style," Spike shrugged. "But it goes quite nicely with your outfit." She looked back down at it with a smile. "So, did you give the traitors a good walloping, a beat-down, something with accentuation?"

"No. Haven't said a word about it."

"Really?" he said, surprised.

"I think you guys made it clear: We don't have time for me to feel sorry for myself," she replied. "It happened. We need to move on."

"Move on," Spike repeated. "Here I thought you'd ditch a guy to sock it to the dissenters in the line."

"Yeah," she replied, embarrassed. "Sorry about that." She turned and headed for the kitchen.

"Fine, all's forgiven," Spike shrugged easily. "And now you're off again. Big secret mission. Solo mission, of course."

"It is," Buffy replied. "I mean, it isn't. Well, it is a secret. Or, no it's not. It's to find out the secret behind the Scythe. We don't know anything about it. Giles and Willow did a little hunting and searching, but… the only thing they could come up with is something about a tomb on deconsecrated ground. Somewhere here in Sunnydale."

"Well, _that's_ a needle in Kansas," Spike scoffed. "That's the thing the good reverend didn't want you to find?"

"It is. I'm going to find out why."

"Good," he shrugged. "Guess you don't need my help."

"Guess not."

"And last night? That was just an accident. A bit of cold comfort from the undead. Never happened."

"Right."

"So I'll be on my way."

"Good."

"See you 'round."

"Sure." He turned and headed for the kitchen door to the side yard as Buffy looked up at blatantly declared, "You're a dope."

"What?" Spike said, turning towards her.

"You're a dope!" she accused as she walked up to him. "And you're stupid… and a-an idiot!"

"Have you lost your mind?" he asked, shaking his head.

"I didn't think we would win this war," Buffy revealed. "For the first time ever, I lost my hope. I've never lost hope in us… or myself, for that matter. Last night I lost both. Until you and the others came along."

Spike looked away from her, breaking eye-contact as she whispered to him, "Last night, when you held me… I believed in myself again. Because you believed in me. Now, I don't know how you want to… play it off, but—"

"I'm terrified," Spike shook his head and replied.

Buffy stopped immediately. "Of what?"

"Last night was…" he let the words fade away, loosing his courage as he looked into her green eyes. "I…" He sighed and finished, "It was the best night of my life." Buffy stared at him and exhaled slowly hearing his words. "You'd better not make fun of me," he threatened, "because I couldn't take it. I don't know what it means to you—"

"I think I just told you what it means to me," Buffy replied.

"I hear you say it, but…" He sighed again and continued, "I've lived for sodding ever, Buffy. I've done everything. I've done things with you I can't spell, but… I've never… been close. To anyone, least of all you. All I did was hold you, watch you sleep and… it was the best night of my life."

"You don't have to be afraid," she shook her head.

He gazed at her with wonder, "We're you there with me?"

"I was," she nodded.

"What does that mean?"

She thought for a few moments, and then replied, "Does it have to mean anything?"

"No," Spike shook his head, a little defeated. "It doesn't have to mean anything." He reached for the doorknob and opened the door, "We'll go be heroes." She watched him go, forcing a smile and a nod. She stood alone in the kitchen as the door slammed, thinking more about last night and her entire relationship with Spike, good and bad. It led her here. It led her to this. It was bad, but… was it worth it?

Buffy gave a final glance behind her to see the entire Fellowship gazing back at her with intrigue. "You know we're going with you, right?" Gimli declared.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Figured."


	13. The End is Here

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY:** As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**13. The End is Here:**

"Do you know where we're going?" Pippin asked as he, Buffy and the rest of the Fellowship walked warily through a cemetery.

"Not exactly," she answered. "We're looking for something… really old. Something…."

"Shaped unusually?" Frodo asked.

"Yeah—" They stopped and stared ahead, beyond an old, creaky gate to an even older building shaped like a pyramid. "That's it." They continued on, pushing open the gate and walking up to the small black door.

Sam looked around, "Maybe there's a key…"

Buffy stepped back and kicked the door down, the heavy metal door sliding down a flight of stone stairs until it hit the bottom. Sam shrugged, "Or we could do it your way."

Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and the hobbits pulled out their weapons and Buffy clutched her Scythe tightly. She led them down the flight of stone stairs into the firelight below. As they stepped down on the floor, they gazed around to see a strange place with Egyptian style décor and towering pillars decorated in hieroglyphs.

A chill went down Buffy's spine. "This place," she said with a baffled expression as she gazed around the mausoleum. "I've been here before."

"You've ventured into this tomb?" Gimli asked.

"No," Buffy answered, unsure of her wording. "In… my dream."

Aragorn turned to Legolas and asked, "What can you tell of it?"

The elf's eyes remained narrow and sharp as he glanced from place to place in the darkness. "I sense a presence in this room," he replied. "This place is old. I feel my own youth vividly in comparison."

Buffy declared, "Which would explain the dire need for a _Trading Spaces _makeover."

Legolas stopped suddenly in his tracks. "Be cautious." Gimli held his axe up while Aragorn drew his sword and the rest of the hobbits clutched their short swords in caution.

"What is it?" Frodo asked Legolas.

The elf's eyes softened, a flash of confusion crossing them as he slowly answered, "One of us."

"Cast down your weapons," a strong female voice declared. It contained everything from despair to power and gentleness to compassion inside of it. Buffy, Aragorn, Legolas and the others spun around suddenly and faced the tall woman standing before them.

Aragorn nearly dropped his sword as his eyes softened and he could not stop the whisper from escaping his lips. "Arwen?" he quietly exclaimed.

The woman was not Arwen. She stood in a long, blue dress with sequins and fine cloths and patterns like Arwen would've worn. Her dark hair drifted down long and thick from her head and glittered in the firelight. Her alabaster skin seemed to give off a glow of its own as it covered her gorgeous face, and her outward appearance was only matched by the beauty in her soul which sparkled through her dark eyes.

"I bare you sanctuary," the woman replied with long, round tones. "You shall find no conflict here."  
The Fellowship gazed at her with eyes wide and jaws agape, the woman before them being ten times more beautiful than any they had ever seen. It was if God had captured the beauty and magnificence of the stars and from that made this woman.

"You…" Buffy gasped as she stared at her motionlessly. "I know you…"

_A woman with long, dark hair stared out at Buffy with deep blue eyes that burned purity into her soul. Beauty filled her facial features and glittering eyes as delicate white flowers, as delicate as her tiny pale figure, dotted her dark mane. A crown of stars circled her head and she appeared – to Buffy's surprise – to be even more gorgeous than the city of Lothlórien itself. She was beauty._

Buffy looked up at the woman in shock. "Lithuen Tinuviel."

Aragorn said with wonder, "The most beautiful and fairest maiden in the world."

"You…" Buffy stuttered off a slow beginning. "You're… you're here? But-but you… you died. Not that that means anything, but… you're _here_."

"You gave up your immortality thousands of years passed," Aragorn said, stunned. "You should have perished long ago."

"Giving up my immortality to live my life with the man that I loved was an easy decision," Lithuen declared, "one that any selfless lover could make. What you do not know is the rest of my grim tale."

Buffy glanced at the others, then turned back to her with a shrug. "He died and you died later?"

Lithuen turned to her with peeked curiosity as she concluded, "I did not know that you would be so… crass." She shrugged a bit as she added, unsurprised, "It's to be expected of any Slayer, although I did not expect you to think so little of life and death."

"I-I'm sorry," she blushed and apologized. "Please, go on."

"Not long after I sacrificed by immortality, a demon came upon our land," she explained. "An old one."

"Wait," Pippin cut in, "a-a what?"

"An old one," Buffy repeated. "Pure demons. I-I thought they only used to exist in our world."  
Lithuen glanced over them all. "Then you would be under the arrogant presumption that you are the only ones to have ventured into Middle Earth and back to this world."

"Guess not," Buffy responded. "'Cause… check you out."

"Continue," Gimli pleaded, fully entrenched in the story. "What of this demon?"

"It was one of the oldest… and last pure demons in existence," she said. "The beast was…" The words faded away as a hint of pain crossed her face. "Desperate," she sighed. "It infected my husband and tried to possess his body so that the demon could continue to conquer. I watched him fall further and further from life. I begged the elders of my time to bear him hence, but all turned me away, ashamed that I gave up the godly gift of immortality."

"They were still bitter, huh?" Buffy frowned, sympathetic to her plight.

"I gave up all hope until a messenger of the Powers appeared to me."

"The Powers that Be?" Buffy asked.

"The very same," Lithuen said with a nod.

"The Powers that Be what?" Sam asked.

"Exactly," Buffy answered, then turned back to the beautiful woman. "Go on."

She explained, "The messenger offered me a divine choice. They could not save my husband, but they could stop the demon."

"For what price?" asked Buffy.

"For an immortal to give up the Gift," Lithuen slowly clarified with much distress, "it would bring life to however many the immortal's life was worth. But for an immortal to destroy a life, it means to return to their state of power..." Her face fell flat. "And loneliness." Buffy and Aragorn gave each other a look as they both turned back to the lovely maiden, standing like a rose wilting before them. "To save my husband's soul from destruction, I had to agree to do the Powers' bidding and return to my immortal life and be alone… forever."

"Is that how you came to be in this place?" Legolas asked. "Here in this world?"

"In the beginning, before the War of the Ring, before Sauron's wrath, even before the creation of the Rings of Power – all planets, all dimensions were as one. One endless battleground. One hell where the powers of good and evil fought for control. The First used its army to conquer, and was nearly successful in destroying the Powers." She looked at Buffy desperately and explained, "You must understand that the entire universe rests on a balance, a-a scale. For every positive there is a negative; for every good there is an equal and opposite evil that must exist on the same plane for there to be equality. But the First was winning – the First was weighing the balance in its favor. The only was to stop the First was to create a medium of light, one strong enough to defeat the mightiest of evils."

"What could possibly be strong enough to stand against _that_?" Buffy sighed, wishing that she not only knew, but she had the remedy to her problems.

"The Powers created a race of beings full of righteousness and selfless intentions," Lithuen answered. "Humanity."

The silence afterwards was so thick it could be sliced with a chainsaw. "You mean, like, _people_?" Buffy asked with disbelief.

"The creation of this race was catastrophic to the First," she continued, "and soon afterwards came the First Champion. This being became the equal opposite of the First and channeled enough power to entomb the First in an incorporeal state. When the last Pure Demon was destroyed, the single world was divided into a multitude of planets and dimensions, with the human race present in each of them."

"I remember this part," Buffy declared. "Before the last demons were killed, they fed on a few humans and… _they_ were spread around the universe, too?"

"Creating a balanced mixture of humans and demons." Frodo nodded, finally understanding.

"It was not until thousands of years later when a seer foretold a crossing of worlds," Lithuen replied. "Four Champions would venture into Middle Earth, one of them a Slayer, and play a pivotal role in the War of the Ring."

"Wait…" Buffy exclaimed, "You _saw_ that coming?"

She answered, "As well as what happened next – _this_ part of the story. The Fellowship of the Ring coming into this world to aid the Slayer in the Battle of the Hellmouth."

A chill went down the spine of everyone in the room as the Fellowship glanced around the room and at each other. Aragorn shook his head, unbelievingly, as he asked, "Why was there no record or prophecy of this before?"

"I believe it was stored in the Annals of Isengard," she responded.

"They must have been destroyed under Saurman's control," Gimli announced.

Lithuen began again, "When the prophecy was delivered to the Elven Elders, the immediately created a weapon with which to intervene."

Buffy looked down at the golden weapon in her hands as Aragorn declared, "The Scythe. It is of Elfish creation?"

"Created by Elves and handed down to the people of this world to be put in its rightful place," she said with a nod.

"And you've been waiting here," Buffy shook her head with disbelief, "all this time… to tell me this?"

"My task is nearly complete," Lithuen replied. "I am almost free."

"The Scythe," Buffy said, gazing down at it in her hands suspiciously, "there's something… wrong with it. Or wrong about it."

"It is not about right or wrong, Buffy," she answered. "It is about the Power. The weapon is the key to everything you are destined to become: the Ultimate Champion."

"What do you mean by that?" Merry asked.

"When Buffy was resurrected from the dead, she changed. The world changed. The First was able to take advantage on the imbalance and began its quest to become corporeal itself."

"Yeah," Buffy sighed, wanting to forget about it, "I saw this episode."

"Your new body is different," Lithuen explained. "There is no doubting it."

"Look, I-I know I changed," she quickly replied. "But-but Tara said it was only be a few, you know, molecules, right?" Lithuen gazed at her in silence, unnerving her further. "Right?"

"The Power is inside you," she answered, "waiting, struggling to come out. It has made you stronger… harder… colder. It has consumed who you were to transform you into what you are becoming."

The Slayer swallowed hard and felt her skin turn to ice. "That's… the reason?" she asked meekly. "There really is an-an… evil inside me?"

Frodo looked up at Buffy, then looked down at the ground as Merry, standing next to him, began to protest, "No… No. That's not true. Don't believe it, Buffy."

"You walk a fine line, Slayer," Lithuen shook her head with sympathy in her voice. "If you force the Power inside you into submission – if you continue to conceal it…" She let the words fade off as she stared at her fearfully.

"What?" Buffy demanded. "What'll happen?"

Sorrowfully, she replied, "It will destroy your soul."

Buffy's green eyes widened with terror as tears began to brim her eyes. "No… that's not going to happen!" Merry snapped. Frodo looked over at Buffy with pity as she began to pace is distress.

"And… and if I-I use this great honking power?" Buffy asked with anger. "What happens then?"  
"The Power was first used to create the worlds," she said with hesitation. "You will have the power to destroy them all."

"Let me guess…" Buffy shrugged. "The Power's the thing that's making me invincible? But if I go all out, it'll kill me. Unless, of course, I don't use the Power and we all die anyway!" She whipped around to face Lithuen and exclaimed with anger, "How am I supposed to make this choice?"

"It is not an easy choice to make," she said. "But this is certain:" Buffy looked up at her as Lithuen declared, deathly serious, "In just a very short time, the fate of the universe will be either in your hands… or in the hands of the First."

Buffy shook her head as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I can't do this. I can't choose."

Aragorn shook his head, fuming, "This… this is preposterous."

"Surely," Frodo pleaded, "there must be another way."

Buffy whispered with hollow words as she gazed down at the floor, "She was right…" They turned to her as she breathed in with tears rolling down her face. "My greatest enemy is myself."

"Fear not the Darkness when it stands in your path," Lithuen shook her head. "Arise and see it for what it truly is." Without another word, Lithuen stepped back into the shadows and disappeared from sight, vanishing in a beam of white light. Darkness surrounded those that remained inside the tomb as silence covered them like a thick fog of mourning.

Buffy continued to stare at the wall as the last tear fell from her eyes. Like a bolt of thunder, the silence was sliced through by Caleb as he approached them.

"See? Now what did we learn from that?" he declared. They turned to him, stunned and terrified as he strolled up to Buffy with his arms behind his back casually. "You're just like any other woman: dirty." Aragorn and the others immediately ripped out their weapons as they braced themselves for whatever Caleb had for them.

Buffy did not move. She looked up at him with a look of emptiness that slowly melted into anger. "Oh, look," she replied, feeling her old, angry self come back to her. "Something wicked this way sucks."

"Well, look at this," Caleb announced, gazing at the Fellowship. "Guess you boys decided to stick around after all. Can't say that's the wisest choice."

"Gimli, Legolas," Aragorn ordered, nodding to the Halflings. "Mallen pelu e' n'alaquel en' sen." _Circle around them._

They followed his orders as Caleb declared, "Even the strongest of men fall under the influence of a woman. By women, kings are made weak. Warriors are made to fail. Even the purest of Champions are made unclean."

"You should speak nothing of Champions!" Gimli snapped.

"You really do have a preference for men, don't you?" Buffy retorted. "I'm guessing in all ways."

"Very funny, little viper," he responded. "But I'm beyond all that. I've got exactly one relationship in my life, and that's with the oldest and purest of all evils. And I'll take the sweetest pleasure in watching you all be destroyed by that evil." He turned to Buffy with a smile. "Course, that's if your heroine doesn't destroy you all first."

Buffy swallowed hard as Aragorn declared, "You and your master will have to face us now."

"You still don't get it, do you?" Caleb grinned. "Just by being here, you're changing everything. Now, if the Slayer had been here by herself, I'd a finished her off all by my lonesome. But since this is a special occasion…"

Over a dozen Bringers leapt out from behind Caleb and charged at the Fellowship.

Legolas moved first; with his bow and arrow up like a flash of lightning he fired three arrows at Caleb. The preacher grinned as the narrow, sharp tools of death flew towards him, whistling in the air. He simply stepped and ducked – dodging every last one. Legolas' blue eyes widened at the shock: He missed. He never misses.

Caleb leaned back suddenly as a small axe whizzed over his chest and shoulder. He straightened out as Gimli charged at him with his main weapon drawn. Pulling back his foot, Caleb simply kicked the dwarf away with a field-goal kick, not breaking the slightest sweat. The dwarf rolled in the air and crashed into a stone pillar, his back colliding with the stone.

In a flash, Buffy charged at Caleb, full of fury as the hobbits and Aragorn ripped out their swords and took on the wave of Bringers. Aragorn cut the head off of one Bringer, spun around beneath the dagger of another and sliced him in the stomach. Frodo stood steady with his short sword drawn as another raced towards him. Sam circled around behind Frodo's attacker and with his sword he slashed at the ankles of the Bringer, causing him to topple to the ground. Once he was down, Frodo stabbed his sword into the throat of the Bringer, dispatching it for good.

Pippin let out a nervous cry as two Bringers ran towards him. Merry raced towards his friend, ordering, "Pip, down!" Pippin ducked down and so did Merry once he arrived as both stuck their swords out like lances, piercing the oncoming Bringers in their torsos.

Buffy swung the Scythe right into Caleb's hands. She pulled back on her weapon, but he would not loosen his super-charged grip and he pelted her with punches to her face, beating her to her knees. She twisted the Scythe in her hands and knocked the stake end across his face, flipping him over on the ground. He came to his feet as she hit him three more times with the middle of the Scythe and he ducked underneath her deadly swing just in time. The blade of the Scythe swirled around her in flashes of silver and red, ringing and whirring as it sliced the air.

The priest caught her handle as Buffy tried to hit him again, and she retaliated with a sidekick to the midsection. He pushed her against a stone pillar, pinning her there until she was able to wriggle free and duck beneath his mighty fist as it slammed into the rock, breaking fragments off of the column.

Buffy pushed him away and squared off with Caleb again as he laughed jubilantly, blowing the dust off of his fist. She held the Scythe close to her as fighting ranged on around her and Caleb gave her a deadly grin. "Don't you see?" he said with a smile. "There's no stoppin' us. We are everywhere. There's nowhere to hide. And now there's nowhere to run."

Legolas shot two Bringers in the chest with one arrow, the arrow shooting through the body of one and piercing the heart of the one behind him. However, as more Bringers rushed into the tomb and the wave pushed closer and closer to him, he was forced to put away the bow and pull out his daggers. He ducked and dodged underneath two more and stabbed one of them in the back and the other in the throat, kicking another Bringer off of him.

Gimli, now on his feet, slashed and chopped away with the axe in furious anger, using the hobbits method of cutting them down to his size, then going in for the kill. The hobbits stuck closely together, the four of them creating a square of defense as the Bringers came at them from all sides and they were able to retaliate on all sides.

Aragorn pulled Anduril out of the stomach of a Bringer, then flipped it around, stabbing another that approached him from behind. He ripped out the weapon and slashed the throat of yet another Bringer and turned as he heard a loud crash beside him.

Caleb punched Buffy in the jaw and she went flying into the wall behind her, colliding with it several feet off the ground. She landed on her hands and knees on the floor as Caleb hooked her again in the face and kicked her with his heel. She flipped up onto her feet with the Scythe in her hands and kicked him in the stomach. She punched him again and flipped him over as he landed on his back on the ground.

Buffy jabbed the stake end down towards his face, but he caught it and held it at bay, gazing up at her with a smile. He catapulted her over his body and on to the floor, tossing the Scythe aside. She pushed herself up only to be knocked back down with a kick to the face. He gave her two right hooks and watched her fall back on the ground, squirming on the dirt as she crawled back to her feet. She came up with a fierce punch, but he grabbed her arm and punched her three more times, the third punch sending her backwards into a pillar, then back down to the floor.

Buffy stumbled as she crashed down as she crashed down and Aragorn saw her near defeat at hand. Caleb crossed her path and gazed down at her with a twisted smile, enjoying her struggle to stay conscious and the pain of her weakness.

Aragorn rushed over with his sword ready to save her, but Caleb turned around and punched him in the face, throwing him through the air. The King crashed into a wall and hit the ground unconsciously.

"Aragorn!" Legolas called out, distracted long enough to be tackled to the ground by two Bringers. Gimli rushed to his aid, still being tailed by a Bringer of his own.

Buffy looked over in fear at Aragorn's unmoving body but was picked up by her collar, lifted in the air and thrown against another stone pillar, knocking the sections out of alignment. She rolled on the floor as she toppled down and he looked down at her, beaming with delight of victory.

"I warned you about the end," Caleb gloated. "Told you it was coming and that you couldn't stop it. You chose not to listen." Buffy watched helplessly as he picked up her Scythe, lifting it above his head as he stared down at his target. "And this is the consequence of that choice."

"Hey," Caleb heard from behind him. He turned around as a rock-hard fist slammed into his jaw, knocking him away as the Scythe fell from his hands. Buffy looked up to see her dark knight rescuer – Angel. The ensouled vampire gazed at her warmly, extending his hand to her and helping the stunned Slayer to her feet.

"I was never much for preachers," he smiled as she stared motionlessly in his presence.

"Angel," she breathed.

"You look good," he answered.

"You look timely." He gave her a warm look as Buffy added, "And also good."

"Heard maybe you needed a hand," Angel replied as he turned to see Caleb standing up lividly. The vampire put his defense on as Buffy grabbed his shoulder, turning towards the battling Fellowship.

"Help the others," she ordered. "This bastard's mine." Angel followed her command and ran over to Legolas, throwing the Bringers off of him as he joined their fight, punching them out and snapping necks left and right.

Buffy and Caleb walked towards each other and began the next stage of their battle. She successfully blocked most of his blows with the Scythe, knocking him around a bit as he struggled to stay on top of the game. He grabbed her Scythe again and hooked her in the face, knocking her face-flat against the wall. He lunged at her with the stake end of the Scythe, but she moved out of the way in time.

Aragorn's eyes opened up as his head throbbed painfully like a ton of bricks had fallen on top of him. He heard the whirring of Buffy's Scythe it was returned to her again and he pulled himself up, grabbing Anduril, and charged at the preacher.

A Bringer grabbed Sam by the throat and threw him into Frodo, knocking them both to the ground and breaking the square. Merry stabbed another in the stomach, then another in the back as it headed for Pippin. Pippin shouted a war cry as he stabbed one, then charged at another, grabbing it at its legs and pulling it to the ground. Frodo and Sam looked up as a Bringer stood over them with its two daggers coming towards their heads.

Angel appeared from behind and grabbed both the daggers, stabbing the Bringer in the heart from both sides of his chest. He tossed the body away as Legolas hammered the Bringer after Merry with an arrow and Gimli buried his axe in the head of the Bringer that Pippin had brought down.

They turned towards the grand battle between Caleb, Buffy and Aragorn as Caleb back-kicked Buffy and punched Aragorn again, knocking him into a pillar. Caleb spun around and faced the angry Slayer as she swung at his head and stomach, but she was too slow for him. He paraded around her joyfully as she struggled to make contact with the blade. Buffy swung at his chest, he leaned back and when he straightened out, Buffy right hooked him, spinning him around to face Aragorn.

Aragorn was ready with his sword as he grabbed Caleb's shoulder and plunged Anduril into his stomach. Caleb gasped as the blade sliced him all the way through and stuck out of his back. Buffy gazed down at the bloody end of the sword as Aragorn glared into Caleb's eyes and ripped the sword out. Grabbing his fatal wound, he fell to his knees and gazed up at Aragorn helplessly as he pulled the sword back as if he were going to decapitate him.

For a second, he pulled it back slightly, then moved the sword out of the way and right hooked him to the ground. Caleb toppled over and landed unconsciously as Aragorn stared down at him with finality. With a relieved sigh, he rested and wiped the blood off the sword, returning to the rest of the Fellowship.

"Nice moves," Angel commented at Aragorn.

Aragorn replied, "He angered me."

"See?" Buffy smiled as she looked up at Angel. "We've got this situation completely under control."

He shrugged as he walked up to his ex-girlfriend with a boyish grin, "Well, at least you can tell me you're happy to see me." Buffy walked to him and planted her lips on his, resting her hand on his shoulder. From the shadows near the doorway, Spike glared at the two with hurt and a sense of fuming betrayal. The First as Buffy stood next to him with her arms crossed; the both of them watching the star-crossed lovers reunite.

"That bitch…" she hissed quietly, trying to infect Spike's mind.

Buffy and Angel broke their kiss as Angel observed, "Well, I guess that qualifies as 'happy to see me.'"

"Angel, what are you doing here?" Buffy asked in astonishment. "No, wait, I-I just wanna bask." She gazed up at him lovingly, then her face fell flat with seriousness. "Okay, I'm basked. What's the deal?"

"When Aragorn and the others show up they caused a string of disturbances," Angel explained to her and the Fellowship. He added a bit painfully, "And uncovered some we didn't see coming. When I heard the full story I decided to come and lend some hand."

"You mean, it's happening?" Sam asked. "We're changing the… the future?"

"Problem is, we don't know," Buffy answered. "We don't know how things were supposed to be or how things would've been if you hadn't showed."

"It's the First, isn't it?" Angel asked. "The evil that tried to convince me to kill myself?"

"It's gotten a little more ambitious since then," Buffy explained. "It's raising an army."

"Yeah, well," Angel shrugged. "It failed once and just as long as we stay together—"

Caleb shot up like a bullet out of a gun and slammed Angel in the head with a stone jar, knocking him aside easily. Buffy stared at him, terrified, as he glared at her with black blood draining from his eyes, his nose and the corners of his mouth.

"Are you ready to finish this," he shouted at her, his eyes completely black, "bitch?"

He swung at her with the jar and she blocked it with the Scythe, then he hit her again with his fist and she fell backwards. She rolled back on her feet and came to a cautious stand. "Okay, Michael Myers, how many times do we have to kill you?" she asked.

"You understand nothing!" he bit off. He grabbed her and tossed her into another wall. She stood up and punched him, then swung at him with the Scythe. He ducked and grabbed her by the stomach, lifting her in the air and smashing her against the ceiling. He let her crash to the ground as he boomed, "You think you have the Power over me?"

He punched her twice and grabbed her by the throat, choking her, "I don't care what you have! You'll never be more powerful than me!" She flipped the Scythe around with her free hand.

Caleb glared into her eyes, "You don't have the balls—" His face contorted suddenly with extreme pain as she swung the Scythe into his crotch. His black eyes widened as his voice disappeared and his grip around her neck loosened. She stood holding him up as she kept both hands on the handle of the Scythe.

"Who does nowadays?" she shrugged with a deadly glare. An instant later, she ripped the Scythe upwards, slicing him from bottom to top. Both halves of Caleb toppled onto the floor as the Fellowship cringed, their jaws agape. Dead silence fell in the tomb as Buffy gazed down at her kill, taking pleasure in inflicting so much pain. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat and the thought of that pleasure terrified her. Swallowing hard she lowered the Scythe and looked away from the body towards the Fellowship.

"Buffy?" Pippin began, his eyes on the Calebs. "Y-You know that time when w-we all went down to Hob's End and had the picnic down at the lake and I spilled ale on your dress? I'd like to take this time to apologize for that."

"All right!" Angel declared as he stood up angrily. "Now I'm pissed." He faced Buffy and the others. "Where is he?"

She gave him a look and gazed down at the opposite sides of the floor, acknowledging the opposite sides of his body. "Oh," Angel replied. "That's, uh… That's… yeah."

Legolas declared to Angel informatively, "She cut him in half."

Aragorn slowly turned his head towards Legolas who stood next to him with an intense gaze. The thought of saying something crossed his mind, but he simply turned away.

"Right," Angel declared, also turning away from him. Buffy walked over and picked up the file folder that Angel was carrying.

"I'll have the others scan through these files, see if there's something we don't already know," Buffy said. She turned to him and asked, "Reliable source?"

"Not remotely," he replied, reaching into his pocket. "I also have this." He pulled out a huge, circular diamond amulet on the end of a chain.

Buffy stared at it with wide eyes, "I can already tell you I have nothing that goes with that."

"It's not for you," Angel answered. "All I know is that this thing's very powerful and very dangerous. There's some sort of cleansing power, or purifying power – hell, I don't know – scrubbing bubbles. It's to be worn by somebody stronger than human but with a soul, a champion. As in me."

"Or me," Buffy shrugged.

"No," he answered. "It's too dangerous to risk you wearing it. Besides, you got that real cool axe thing… going for ya."

"And I personally feel like the rest of this group has had their fair share of apocalyptic jewelry," Buffy said of the Fellowship. "Which would rule them out."

Frodo turned around sensing a strange emotion and caught Spike facing the shadows in silent defeat and retreating up the stairs of the tomb. Frodo turned back to Buffy, deciding if he should do anything, but wasn't sure of what to say.

"You said something about things changing," Sam asked. "What happened since we left?"

Angel swallowed hard, unable to speak. Legolas looked at him and asked, "Is it the rebellious one? Connor?" Angel turned to him in shock… _How did he…?_

"Whoa," Buffy asked. "Who's Connor?"

Angel stared at Legolas for a long time before he finally answered, "Connor's my son. _Was_ my son." He explained with hints of bitterness, "He was born about a year and a half ago, then kidnapped and taken to a dimension where he was brainwashed, grew up then came back with a vengeance to kill me. He almost did. A lot. If only… if thing's could've been different, I could've…" The words faded away and he paused, then continued, "Cordelia's body was taken over by a fallen Power-That-Be that used her body to give birth to itself and instigate an apocalypse where when she was born, she would enslave the minds of mankind. Fortunately, we were able to stop her. Unfortunately, we… sorta ended world peace. Cordelia, she... she didn't…" Once again, he could barely continue, "She's in a coma. They say she's not going to wake up."

"My god," Buffy breathed in awe. "We have got to work on our communication skills."

"And now?" Sam asked. "What's become of you… of your son?" The Fellowship turned to him understanding the origin of his concern.

"He doesn't know me," Angel answered. "Not anymore. He doesn't remember anything. No one knows except for me. No one until now."

"You gave up your son?" Sam asked.

"I gave him the life he should've had," Angel replied. "You gotta do what you can to protect your family. Sometimes that means sacrificing a part of yourself in the process." He stood with his arms crossed staring into the darkness in the brooding silence that brought Buffy back to high school and far away from the knowledge or fear of any of this.

"And I thought I was having a tough year," Buffy answered quietly to him. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah," Angel nodded slightly. "Me too." He swallowed and let go of that pain, turning towards Buffy with a face of business. "You got a game plan?"

"You'll be here?" Aragorn asked. "Fighting to our aid?"

"Shoulder to shoulder," Angel replied. "Fighting to the death like usual. It's a Buffy/Angel tradition."

"No," Buffy cut him off.

"No, what?" he asked.

"You're not going to be in this fight," she said with finality, heading for the stairs.

"Why not?" he asked.

She turned to him, not wanting to say it, but she faced the cold truth, "If I lose this, then it's only days – hours, even – until it takes the rest of the world. I need someone I can count on for a second front."

"Okay," Angel agreed, facing the rejection. "That's one reason. What's the other?" He gazed down at her knowingly and expected a truthful answer, one that she couldn't bring herself to give.

"There _is_ no other reason," Buffy flatly replied, then went up the stairs.

Angel turned to the Fellowship and declared bitterly, "There's another reason."

"Well," Pippin nervously laughed, "good luck with that. Nice to see you again! Bye!"

Buffy walked out of the tomb with her Scythe in hand as Angel called from the doorway, "Is it Spike?" She paused, busted, and faced him tiredly. "His scent," Angel explained, "I remember it pretty well…"

"Vampires," Buffy shook her head. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that smelling thing's kinda creepy?"

"Is he your boyfriend?" Angel asked.

"Is that your business?" she sighed, turning away and entering the rest of the graveyard.

"Are you in love with him?" he asked. She slowed down, being more and more annoyed as Angel admitted, "All right, look. Maybe I'm out of line, but I mean, this is kind of a curve ball for me. We are talking about Spike here."

"It's different," she explained. "He's different. He has a soul now."

"Oh," Angel said to himself quietly. "A soul." Feeling a little intruded upon, he added childishly, "Everyone's got a soul now."

"What?" she exclaimed.

"No, no," he shook his head. "One more for the team." He rolled his eyes and said almost to himself, "I started it, you know." Angel said to her, "The whole 'having a soul.' Before it was... all the cool, new thing."

"Oh, my god, are you twelve?" Buffy sighed.

"I'm getting the brush-off for Captain Peroxide," Angel declared. "It doesn't necessarily bring out the Champion in me."

"You're not getting the brush off!" Buffy exclaimed.

* * *

"I bet they're not even arguing," Pippin announced as the Fellowship walked towards the Summers house. "I bet they're kissing again."

Gimli said with a laugh, "Ah, there's nothing better than a pair of lovers having it out, wouldn't you say?"

Merry rolled his eyes. Pippin continued, "He's probably jealous of Spike, wouldn't you think, Merry? And-And I bet they were fighting about it, but then… any second now… they're going to make up and start having this really long, emotional conversation."

"About what?" Sam asked unbelievingly. "'I want to be with you, but not right now?'" He scoffed, "Please."

"Yeah, exactly!" Pippin answered. "She's probably like… 'I'm just trying to take it a day at a time,' and 'I'm not really thinkin' about the future and all.'"

"I say they're still fighting," Merry declared.

"What concern is it of ours what they're doing?" Aragorn asked maturely. "Clearly, she will always love him, but they both know that their worlds separate them – tear them apart. They can't be together now, but she'll tell him that there is a chance that one day their paths will cross again and they can be together when she's ready. So he'll probably do the honorable thing and divulge to his defeat and return to his home."

Pippin agreed, "And I bet he'll say something like, 'I'll always be with you...' or, you know, 'I'll always wait for you…'"

"'I'm not getting any older,'" Frodo answered with a smile as he thought about the sound of that, walking down the sidewalk with the others.

"Who would say that?" Pippin criticized.

Merry scoffed, "What a cheese."

* * *

"I'm not getting any older," Angel said with a smile as he walked backwards into the shadows, disappearing into the darkness as he did when she first met him in a Sunnydale alley next to the Bronze.

With a look of warmth she turned around to be faced by Kendra, the vampire slayer that had died at the hands of Drusilla and called Faith. Buffy's eyes went wide as Kendra declared in her thick Jamaican accent, her arms crossed and angry, "Neither am I."

Buffy was at first stunned, but then came to a quick understand of what she was staring at. With nothing to reply with, she turned away and walked home.

* * *

Buffy opened the door to her basement and came down the stairs later that night to see Spike punching away angrily at a punching bag. He saw her and stopped punching for a moment, asking, "So, where's Tall, Dark and Forehead?"

"Let me guess," Buffy replied, not surprised, "you can smell him."

"Yeah, that and I also used my heightened vampire eyeballs to watch you kissing him," he accused.

She tried to explain, "It was… a hello."

"Yeah, well," he bit off, "most people don't use their tongues to say 'hello.' Or… I guess they do, but… still."

"There were no tongues," Buffy sighed, shaking her head. "Besides, he's gone."

Spike scoffed, "Oh, well, just popped in for a quickie, then?"

She rolled her eyes, tired of this game and declared, "Geez, I really think I've had enough superpower male-testosterone for one… ever."

"Where's the trinket?" he asked.

"The what-kit?"

"The amulet," he explained. "The one with all the power? I believe it's mine now?"

"How do you figure?" she asked.

"Someone ensouled but more powerful than human? That would be me."

"It's volatile. We don't know—"

"You'll need someone strong to bear it, then. We're you planning on giving it to Andrew?"

Buffy gazed down at the amulet in her hand as she explained slowly, "This… is meant to be worn by a champion."

Spike's heart sank as he put his hand down. "Oh, I see." He looked down at the ground in shame as Buffy held out the amulet, offering it to him. He looked at the amulet, then looked up at her with his eyes wide. She smiled at him as he slowly took the weight of the amulet from her hand and bared it in his own. Spike gazed down at the clear-crystal amulet with humility as he answered, "I've been called a lot of things before…"

"I want you to be careful," she declared.

"You're talking to the wrong guy, love." He squeezed the amulet in his hand and had trouble closing his palm around it, not just because of its size, but because of something else entirely. "This is powerful."

Buffy swallowed for a second as she said meekly, "Faith's still got my room."

Spike looked up at her, bewildered. "Well, you're not saying here! Can't buy me off with shiny beads and sweet talk. You've got Angel breath. I can't let you whack me back and forth like a rubber ball. I've got my pride, you know." With a silent nod, she turned around defeated and headed for the stairs.

"I understand," she answered.

"Clearly you don't!" he exclaimed as he jumped in front of her with alarm. "Because that whole pride thing – just a smoke screen." She smiled at him, clearly relieved as they gazed at each other contentedly.

* * *

Buffy sat in a chair with her legs crossed as she stared up through a window in the darkened basement. She was all alone, gazing up at the small fraction of stars. It wasn't very usual for her to see stars from her home – especially so many of them glittering down at her. However, now that every electrical light in Sunnydale was out, the stars could shine with their full potential.

The Slayer heard footsteps approach her from the wooden staircase descending into the basement. It was not Spike, but Frodo, followed by Sam, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry then Pippin. They stared at her with curiousity as she contemplated away, illuminated by the moonlight, as if she had been sitting in that chair looking out that window for many, many years.

"You were not at supper," Aragorn announced to her. "We came to see how you were."

Pippin walked up to her, licking his chocolate-covered fingertips, "You should have been there! We had this amazing dish called… s-moures."

"S'mores." Sam rolled his eyes. "They're called s'mores. And they were pretty tasty," he considered.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" Merry asked with concern.

"I couldn't get away from them," she breathed idly as she stared up at the sky.

"Couldn't get away from what?" Pippin asked.

She answered, "Do you realize that you can't see any stars in Middle Earth? Or, you kinda can, but… they're so far away. They're so dim."

"Yes," Aragorn nodded. "They're barely visible."

Frodo walked up to the window and gazed out at the angle perfect to see a multitude of stars, twinkling like bright diamonds down at him. "There are millions," Frodo breathed, astounded. "I never noticed them all."

"I've never looked at them from this window before," Buffy explained. "But at night, when I'd go on patrol, I'd find myself looking up and seeing them. You could see them really well from the cemetery. There were no lights. When I was younger, I used to think about the stars. I missed my dad and I could look up at one and know that he could be looking at the same star." She thought about her the father that neglected her, then the one that took her in. "And… when I got a little older – all that waiting around in graveyards – it was me and Giles and the stars. Then it was me and Will, or me and Xander, or me and Angel…"

Aragorn shook his head. "I don't quite understand what you're saying."

"Everything I had in your world, Aragorn," Buffy said sadly. "The beauty, the friends, the comfort… there was only one thing I always missed."

"The stars?" Gimli asked, confused.

Buffy shrugged, realizing how silly it sounded. "I guess it reminded me of all the good things I had."

"Were you without them still when you returned?" Legolas asked. "Coming back to this place? Was it the same?"

"No," she replied. "It wasn't. Those things belong to that time, and that time has come and gone."

"But you can always start over," Merry suggested whole-heartedly. "Time could… start over."

She looked at him with a warm smile. "Sometimes."

Merry stared at her as his smile fell a little; his whole body deflated a bit. "You're not coming back, are you?" he asked knowingly.

"No, Merry," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not."

"Is it because you think you don't deserve it?" Pippin asked.

Buffy reached out and grabbed Merry's hand squeezing it kindly. "It's because I choose to stay," she explained. Disappointment had already flooded his blue eyes as he gazed at her wondrous face. The sadness melted away as she beamed a sunshine smile at him and he returned a small, understanding grin.

Peacefully, both of them turned back towards the window, and one by one, the rest of the Fellowship turned to behold the same heavenly beauty above them.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" a thick, southern voice declared. All of them jumped a bit as Buffy's head whipped over to see Caleb emerging from the shadows with his normal appearance in black and his arms behind his back casually.

Merry called out fearfully, "Buffy…"

"You're not him," the Slayer said flatly, dismissing him as she turned back to the window. The others calmed themselves at her cool demeanor.

"No, you killed him," Caleb/The First declared, placing a hand on its chest. "Right and proper. Shame, though. This was a strong man. This man was my right arm." It looked up at her. "Don't hurt me much, though. Don't need an arm." It added with Caleb's twisted grin, "Got an army."

"An army of what exactly?" Buffy asked, unafraid as she came to a stand. "Oh, vampires?" She teased in a faux tone of fear, "My, goodness, how ever will I overcome—" Buffy broke her sentence off with, "Oh, wait! That's right. I've been fighting them for years!"

"Oh, that's right," The First answered with Caleb's southern drawl. "You yourself have an army. Thirty some odd girls who don't know the pointy end of a stake."

"And us!" Gimli proudly declared, raising his voice in a challenge.

"Of course," The First gazed at him. "I almost forgot. A band of six washed-up rent-a-heroes who couldn't survive crossing a three-lane street in this world by themselves."

"But they can battle an army," Buffy added. "They've fought off thousands. That's not much more than you've got."

The First replied with a smile, "Try millions." Its tone rang out mighty and left a cold chill in the Fellowship and the Slayer. "Yes, your friends are knights in shining armor for the Light. But you still don't understand, do you? You've tipped the scales."

Caleb suddenly morphed into the bald, terrifying form of the Master. "It's all about the balance," The First grinned, bearing its sharp teeth. Buffy stood still with her arms crossed as the others became more and more unnerved. "With power comes responsibility," The First declared. "You have been irresponsible with yours. Funny thing about prophecies: they don't always tell you the whole story. Take me for instance. You defeated me and stopped me from raising my army. But now look where you are. You're the reason the Turok-Hans can rise. The reason I can take my power. You're still the lamb to the slaughter." The Master's eyes glared at Buffy as a smile curled across his face, "I was right all along…"

As the First walked into the shadows, he emerged taking the form of Angelus. Buffy's green eyes went wide for a split second, before she regained her calm. "You should've stayed in the ground, Slayer," Angel sneered with that smile she both loved and feared. "Come to think of it, it is about you. It always has been. You're the star of the show…" Its dark eyes were settled on her as he approached her slowly. "Funny thought to think about. This all started with you, Buffy, now we find out that it'll end because of you. Now _that's_ gotta hurt. You were a bad fighter, you were a bad lover, now I see that you were just…"

"Bad," The First continued, now having morphed into Spike's rugged form. "You always had to fight it," it declared sensuously, swaggering dangerously close to her. "Just couldn't let yourself go. Now you've got no choice, love. You know who – and what – you really are. Doesn't matter what you do… the speeches you made… the people you used… the lives you ruined…"

"The people you tried to save," Jenny Calendar said as the First morphed once again. She stood in the last outfit she ever wore, standing before the Slayer and her friends with anger in her dark eyes. "Stupid little girl," it spat. "You don't even have any idea how you go here, do you?"

"You're wrong," Buffy finally declared.

"Buffy," Jenny responded with sensitivity, like a mother to her child. "I don't want to hurt you. I just want to show you who you really are. I'm everywhere, honey. In everything. Everyone. Every drop of hate. But there's not a single place I'm closer to than your heart."

Buffy looked down and swallowed hard and nervously. The First continued to circle Buffy and the Fellowship, attacking them from all sides as The First morphed into Mayor Richard Wilkins.

"It's nothing to frown about, really," the chipper Mayor added. "Cheer up! It'll all be over soon, and let me tell you, I've planned a big ending. You'll finally be rid of that pesky little destiny. You'll become something much greater than any Slayer."

"Greater than human," Adam/The First added in a monotone voice. The Frankenstien-type, part human, part demon, part machine declared as it circle around the group. "You and I are not so different."

"You're a demon," Buffy assured, shaking her head.

"Parts of me," The First responded. "As are parts of you. You are not like the previous Slayers. Why pretend to be? The First Slayer is connected to you. You both possess something deep than your missions. You possess the same power. It's inside you…"

Adam changed forms once more, becoming the dainty, beautiful god Buffy hated. "It's in your blood," Glory finished. "Crazy stuff, huh? It's great when it's racing through your veins. It's even better when it's dripping from your hands." Glory turned to Buffy to see her look away in shame again. The hellgod cracked up with laughter, "Oh, come on. Don't play the innocent Slayer with me. Haven't you wondered why you weren't squashed like the insignificant bug you are? Think it's got something to do with you fact that you're… _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_?" She added the last part with extra drama. "Boy, you think you know…"

The reddish curls of Glory morphed into straight blonde hair as the tall figure shortened a bit and its face took on sweet, round curves. Glory's red dress became a pair of khaki pants and a long-sleeved, baby blue shirt. As the First morphed into Tara, Buffy's eyes widened with terror and disgust.

"But you have no idea," Tara/The First said with a twisted grin.

"My God…" Buffy breathed, unbelieving and revolted.

"That's the problem," it shrugged with simplicity. "I always found it kinda funny they called you the Chosen One. See it is how you've got two sides."

"Change," Buffy ordered, not wanting to hear a word the First said in this form. "Now."

"On the one hand," The First continued, ignoring Buffy's abhorrence, "you got your righteous, pure-hearted Buffy – the girl you used to be. Always there for us. Family. Then you have the other you. The real you. The black-hearted core of primal darkness that longs for the kill. The one slayer whose got enough power to destroy the world. That's what you're becoming."

Buffy's eyes closed tightly as she felt the tingling at the back of her skull. "Stop it."

"Aw, sweetie, don't get upset," Tara smiled with sympathy. "Why be afraid of the Power inside?"

Buffy calmly answered, opening her eyes, "I don't need it."

"Or course not," The First complimented. "Without it, you're a Champion. But with it, you're a god." Frodo looked up to his friend to see her distress as she once again had to close her eyes tightly, looking away from Tara's face. The First whispered with a smile, "The Power is inside you… The Power is inside you…"

"Stop it," Buffy grunted, her resistance beginning to cause her physical pain.

Sam barked with a shout, glaring directly at the First, "She said stop it, you stupid—"

The First's head whipped towards Sam and Frodo as Tara's sweet face turned cold as a raspy, demonic voice spat out, "Stupid hobbitses!" Sam and Frodo's eyes widened with horror as Aragorn's jaw dropped, along with the rest of the Fellowship. Tara kneeled down and morphed into Gollum who crawled towards them and perched himself on the chair.

"Stupid fat hobbitses!" The First hissed with Gollum's reptilian features glaring at them intently with malevolence. "Thieves!" The First turned to Frodo with a haunting smile, "You thinks that we don't see. We knows who you are! We knows who you'll always be!" Gollum leaned close to Frodo, whispering eerily, "We had what the hobbit will always want… Master!"

Frodo felt himself sicken with repulsion and for a second he saw who he used to be and what he could've been had he not destroyed the Ring.

Sam glowered at Gollum and declared with a deadly serious tone, "Leave him alone."

"We're going to destroy the world," The First gloated as he crawled around the basement floor. "We'll start here. We're going to kill everyone!" The First erupted in a wash of maniacal laughter as he rolled across the floor and came back up on all fours, staring up at Sam. "The fat one has a little one. We'll eat his insides…"

Sam charged at Gollum furiously but was held back by Frodo, Merry and Pippin who pulled him back to his place. Aragorn ripped out his sword in his own disgust and anger.

"Aragorn!" Buffy shouted, calling him down.

Gandalf turned to him, the First having changed form again, and stared at him eye-level in disappointment. The wise old man shook his white-haired head with his staff in his hand and stared at Aragorn as if he were lower than the dirt beneath their feet. "What a fool to give your life," The First condemned Aragorn, "for your enemy."

Aragorn lowered his sword and asserted, "Buffy is no enemy."

"Is she a mistress?" The First asked. Aragorn's eyes widened as he stared into Gandalf's eyes in shock. Buffy glanced briefly towards the ground, stunned, and then she looked back up fiercely at The First. Aragorn swallowed hard as the fear of betraying Arwen crossed his mind again.

"Have you so easily forgotten her?" The First asked with Gandalf's stately tone. "She longs for you now, yet you can consider nothing but this battle. Nothing but your Aratoamin."

Aragorn stuttered to reply, "I-I…"

"You have condemned her to her fate," The First continued, twisting the knife deeper. "She gave her immortality for you. And now you have abandoned her."

Aragorn stared blankly at the first and at first said nothing, appearing to have nothing to say in retaliation. However, he calmly and tiredly answered, "You know nothing of what you speak."

"You will die in this world," The First stated. "And she will feel a heartache like no other." The First approached Aragorn, who stood next to Buffy, and walked up to him with a stern gaze, whispering venom into his ears. "When I take Middle Earth, I will let her live the rest of her lonely life. And I will watch her die in agony. All because you have failed her, just like you'll fail your kingdom, just like you'll fail your Slayer."

The First faced Buffy with a smile, "Here you are at the crossroads of a grand choice. All you have to decide is what to do with the time given to you. All the time in the world… is all that you have left."

"I'm not afraid of you," Buffy said simply and assuredly. "I'm not afraid of anything you can throw. Don't think for a second I'm gonna back down just because you can spice up yet another boring speech with fancy special effects."

"I know you're not afraid," The First as Gandalf agreed with a nod. "But what does bring you fear? There is not very much that brings you to that point of weakness." The First walked up to her with a smile, "Come, Buffy. What are you afraid of?"

Buffy was looking at Gandalf's face when at once she was looking into her own reflection. The Fellowship shifted uncomfortably, stepping back as the First made the most terrifying transformation of all – Buffy. Wearing the exact same clothes that Buffy wore at that moment, the two stood as opposite reflections of themselves.

"Into every generation," Buffy/The First grinned, "a Slayer is born. One girl chosen to protect mankind from the forces of darkness. She alone will stand against the—"

The First stopped suddenly as she stared at Buffy with a strange expression. "Say – there's that word again," The First stated. "Alone. It's what you are. It's how you'll die. Alone."

For another second, Buffy's eyes fell to the floor, then came back up and found the First's green eyes once again as it concluded, "When are you gonna learn? You don't belong in this world. You didn't belong in theirs. Now you've got two choices and you know what they are. Both of them end up with you dead. All you have to decide… is how many you want to take with you. But personally, I think we both know the truth – you belong to your grave." The First glared at Buffy dangerously, "You're out of place here, Slayer."

Buffy shifted uneasily as the First teasingly asked, "So. Where's your catchy comeback?"

She was silent in thought until she finally admitted, "You're probably right."

"Huh," The First responded, tilting her head a smidge to the right as she stared at her. "You've done better."

The basement door opened wide as Spike peeked his head in. "Buffy?" The Slayer and her friends looked up the stairs at Spike, Buffy turning back to see that the First was gone. "What's wrong?" Spike asked, descending the stairs. "I heard voices."

Pippin stuttered in fear, "It-It was the First… It said…"

"The First?" Spike repeated, reaching the bottom of the stairs and putting a hand on Pippin's shoulder for comfort. "Buffy, are you all right?" he asked.

Pippin nervously asked, "But, but what did it mean when—?"

"They're only words," Aragorn affirmed with his eyes on the ground. He looked over at Sam's upset expression as he put a hand around the hobbit's shoulder. "Nothing more. We shall not be swayed by the taunting of a phantom. Especially one that is inherently wrong."

"That's right, tike," Spike said comfortingly. "Just smoke and mirrors."

"No," Buffy shook her head slowly, deep in contemplation. "It was… right. What it said was… I just never thought about it before…"

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked.

Buffy looked over to Spike, Aragorn, Frodo and the entire Fellowship, her green eyes wide with courage and belief. "We're gonna win."


	14. Destiny

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**14. Destiny:**

"I hate this," Buffy declared to her full army. Every potential, every Scooby and every member of the Fellowship was packed into the living room with barely enough room for everyone to see. People stood in the foyer, the hallway, the stairs, and of course, they completely lined the walls. Buffy was left only a little room to walk as she talked among her army the next morning, the sun shining down on them.

"I hate being here," she added, talking directly to her untrusting Potentials. "I hate that you have to be here. I hate that there's evil, that it's growing, and I hate that I was chosen to fight it. I wish – a whole lot of the time – that I hadn't been." She looked over at Kennedy and Rona, "I'm pretty sure a lot of you wish I hadn't been either. But this isn't about wishes. This is about choices. I didn't have one. The choice was made for me, and I get that. I accept it. And I'm not dropping this in front of you and telling you to accept it. I'm asking you to make your own choice."

She paused for a moment and sighed, crossing her arms, "I believe we can beat this evil. Not when it comes, or when its army is raised, but now. Tomorrow morning, we're opening the Seal. We're going down into the Hellmouth and I'm finishing this once and for all."

The Potentials stared at each other anxiously as Buffy continued, looking at all of her friends, "I've got strong warriors on our side: Potentials, witches, sorcerers, charms, amulets; and I'll need them all. But I'll also need you. Every single one of you. I know you're asking yourself, 'What makes this any different than before?' It's true that none of you have the power that Faith and I have. And that's why we're here." With a deep breath, she turned to all of her friends and declared, "So here's the part where you make a choice."

"What if you could have that power," she suggested, "now? Not later. In every generation, one Slayer is chosen… because a bunch of men thousands of years ago made up that rule." Buffy pointed over at Willow, "This woman is more powerful than all of them combined." Willow's face contorted with nerves as the eyes of the group fell upon her. "So I say we change the rule. I say my power, should be our power," Buffy added. "Tomorrow, Willow's going to use the essence of the Scythe to do just that. We're going to change our future. We're going to change our destinies. And from now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer will be a Slayer. Those who can have the Power will have the Power. Those who can stand up... _will_ stand up."

She gazed at the young, wide-eyed and amazed girls, "Slayers. All of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?"

* * *

The sun fell over California that night as the Scoobies began what could have been their last night together in Sunnydale – or their last night ever. The gang was separated into different groups and different places: Faith and Wood were at Sunnydale High preparing the stage for tomorrow's battle, Willow and Kennedy were up in Willow's bedroom researching the Scythe, and Dawn, Sam, Merry and Pippin along with a big group of young Potentials were tucked in palettes in Dawn's bedroom listening intently to the Slayer's stories, going back and forth between the hobbits and the Key.

Dawn leaned in close with dramatics in her voice as she whispered in an eerie tone in the darkness, "And then… the Master crept up behind Buffy – she didn't even see him coming – and clutched her neck and bit down, draining her of her blood!"

The Potentials swallowed and held each other's hands with eyes full of anxious worry. "That's nothing!" Pippin exclaimed with a smile. "In _my_ story, Buffy's walking down through the halls of Moria with nothing but a sword in hand. Little does she know that all of underground Moria has become a gigantic tomb crawling with flesh-eating monsters…"

The girls gasped with terror as fearful Vi clutched her pillow, whining, "Don't you have any _other_ stories?"

Merry looked over to her with a warm smile. "Don't be afraid," he said, placing a small hand on her shoulder. "It's Buffy. She always comes through." Sam and Dawn both thought about his reply, nodding their heads in agreement.

* * *

At the dining room table, Giles sat with Xander on one side and Aragorn on the other, along with Legolas, Gimli, Amanda and Andrew. Thick books were laid out as Giles gazed intently at the game plan. "I've gotten turned around," Giles declared, pointing at the map. He turned to Aragorn and pointed at the page. "You're here."

"Do I defend this room?" Aragorn asked with an expression of bafflement.

"Of course," Legolas explained, frustrated having to explain the same plan to Aragorn more than once.

Aragorn shook his head, "I don't understand why…"

"It doesn't matter right now," Xander answered. "So, that puts Giles, Legolas and Gimli over here by the door. Demons are around the perimeter."

"So I go through the door," Giles suggested.

"That's a foolish plan," Legolas shook his head.

"Why not?" Gimli asked. "I fear no demon!"

"You go through the door," Andrew said, staring down at a Dungeons & Dragons game book wearing a bright red cloak with the hood up. "You are confronted by Trogdor, the Burninator."

"What?" Aragorn asked, his eyes wide.

"I told you," Legolas answered. "We should have gone around the perimeter—"

"Oh, bugger all!" Giles spat, slamming his fist on the table. "Fight." He grabbed the ten-sided die in his hand and rolled it on the table, squirming at the outcome. Legolas sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Trogdor has wounded you," Andrew announced.

"But what about my bag of illusions?" Giles asked.

"Bag of what?" said a baffled Aragorn.

"Illusions?" Andrew repeated. "Against a Burninator?" He gave a wise chuckle, "Silly, silly British man…"

Amanda placed a card on the table, "I invoke a time flux on Trogdor."

"A what?" asked Aragorn.

Andrew flashed disapproving eyes on her, "Uh, hold up, girlfriend. You can't just—"

"Ninth level sorceress," Amanda gloated, "_and_ I carry the Emerald Chalice. Trogdor is frozen in time. Deal with it."

Aragorn shook his head. "Who? Why…?"

"Well played!" Legolas congratulated.

"Smackdown on red riding hood," Xander smiled with excitement. "This could get ugly!"

"I used to be a highly-respected watcher," Giles sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing his forehead. "Now I'm a wounded dwarf with the mystical strength of a doily."

"I resent that!" Gimli threatened, glaring at Giles.

"Imagine how I feel," Aragorn sighed, dropping his cards on the table in defeat and shaking his head, lost in confusion.

* * *

Outside of the Summers' doorway, Frodo Baggins sat by himself on the wooden steps of the porch. The moonlight shined down on him, illuminating his face as a billion stars glittered down at him. Buffy appeared in the doorway behind him and stared down at him curiously, watching his expression of awe and wonder.

"I understand now…" Frodo whispered to her as he continued to stare into the overwhelming, gargantuan abyss. "At first, I couldn't figure out why you wanted to stay in Middle Earth when everything you ever knew and loved was here…" Buffy stayed leaning against the doorframe as she stared down at him in silence with her arms crossed, listening to his revelation. "And then I couldn't quite understand why you didn't try to return."

A good question indeed, because Buffy did know the way back to Middle Earth even though it was a long shot. She had completed Cloutier's trance once, and wondered many lonely days and nights whether or not she could complete it again. The question always lingered in her mind, but what was it that kept her from following through with her actions? Fear? Despair? No, it was none of these things. Buffy had found this answer already in herself the night she stayed alone in the stranger's house after being exiled from her own home.

"You were taken out of this world because it was your time to leave," Frodo said. "A result of a choice you made. But you stayed in Middle Earth because that's what you wanted. It's what you needed. You wanted to leave home because everything in your world that you saw reminded you of the person you were…" He shook his head painfully, his blue eyes weighed down, "Everything that you'd done…"

Buffy all of a sudden was no longer standing on her porch listening to the fascinated, wise hobbit. She was back in Hobbiton, listening to the troubles of an old friend near a fireplace inside of his home one not-so-special night that changed their lives forever. After everything that had happened – everything that was about to happen – there they were again.

"Coming back here must have been so very hard," Frodo shook his head with sympathy in his voice, "at first. You were faced with the reminders of your past again. But time… doesn't stay in one place. Your life changes and starts anew. You left because you had to get away, you came back because you were needed here, and you stayed because… you didn't need to run anymore."

Buffy thought about his answer, his observations matching her own and realized once again that he understood her better than most, and for that she held the deepest empathy for him. She took her weight off of the doorframe and stepped to him, sitting down beside him on the step and gazing up at the stars and the street where she had lived for seven years.

"It's all one… journey," Frodo continued, searching deeper in his own soul. "It stays with you always, but… you grow around it. You grow past it. Time changes you and heals you… and it doesn't end with a goodbye or a grand battle or a war, it… never ends."

"So why is it so complicated?" Buffy asked, shaking her head. "It sounds so simple, but what makes it so hard?"

"Life has many choices," Frodo answered, after some contemplation. "The hardest thing in living is making them." The two sat together on the porch in silence for some time, both of them faced with choices, both afraid of their outcomes. Buffy glanced over to Frodo to see him fixated, his blue eyes taking in the stars as if he had never seen them before. Until tonight, he really hadn't.

* * *

Aragorn stood in the kitchen, having given up on Dungeons & Dragons and stared deeply at his own options. A can of beans sat on the countertop staring at him – triumphing in its impenetrability. On the left of the can, there was an object he heard Willow refer to as "a can opener." A trustworthy name, yes, but with wires and switches and buttons, this contraption was clearly deceptive in its nature. In his right hand, there was a dagger. After several minutes of decisive deliberation, he took the can in his left hand and stabbed the top metal with the dagger, prying it open.

Footsteps sounded out behind him as they came to an abrupt stop. Aragorn turned around to see Buffy standing in the doorway as if she had just walked in on someone in the shower.

"Oh," she said, her face nearly pale, "I, uh… I…" She cleared her throat, "I didn't think you'd be here. I'm, um, I'm g-going to get the others… They're a… uh… a few things I have to say—"

"That you would not say to me alone?" Aragorn said, staring back down at his cold food.

Buffy blinked at him, taken off guard. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Aragorn sighed nervously, revealing his own apprehension to her, "I… understand your anxiety, but you don't have to avoid me."

"I wasn't avoiding you," Buffy denied.

"Yes, you are," Aragorn answered firmly, looking up at her. She was stunned again into silence. "Because of what the First said to me earlier…"

Buffy could've turned bright red with embarrassment for him and for that. _Mistress_, she remembered. _It called me his mistress!_ Those words seared her a bit, knowing Arwen personally.

"Yeah," Buffy cleared her throat, replying quickly but tenderly, "well, what it said wasn't—"

"You're an amazing woman, Buffy," Aragorn suddenly announced as he kept his eyes off of her. He admitted gently, "Perhaps the most amazing I have ever, or will ever meet. And I cannot lie." He swallowed hard, then confessed with shame in his voice, "The truth is… I have desired you. Not with any intent of malice – not because I could possibly contain myself from coming to this point. I could not see it for what it really was. And every time I came close I blinded myself ever further and denied it out of guilt."

Buffy was shaking her head in astonishment. She interrupted him, stopping him for a second, "Aragorn—"

"Don't," he declared seriously, staring up at her with eyes full of emotion. "I've spent every hour thinking about my life," he said. "Thinking about you. Thinking about Arwen. I'm pleased to say that I now see the whole truth. I am in love with my wife. She _is_ the love of my life."

"Soul mates," Buffy responded with understanding, nodding her head.

Her eyes met his again as he slowly confessed, "But I am also in love with you." Buffy's heart nearly stopped as he walked up to her, "If we were in another time – another place – I would give everything to be the man you deserve. And I wouldn't have you until I was worthy. But we are not in another time; we are not in another place. The path that I must follow leads home. As a lover, I cannot stand by your side. But as a friend, I will fight with you until there is nothing left."

Buffy swallowed hard, tears brimming her eyes as she breathed nervously with her heart aching, "You shouldn't be saying this…"

"I know," Aragorn replied. "But it has to be said." His hand reached up and touched her soft face as a tear rolled down her cheek. "He did not die because of you," Aragorn declared. "He died for you." He stared into her green eyes as they met his again and he added softly, "And now I know why." Another second together and Aragorn took his hand from her face and stepped back away from her, retreating away from that which he was not allowed.

The King cleared his throat again as he declared, "I shall gather the others in the basement." He began again to avoid contact with her eyes nervously. "I…" he swallowed deeply, "I will tell them that you wish to speak with us."

Aragorn turned away like a soldier and exited the kitchen. Buffy stood there by herself, wiping her eyes quickly as she turned to the countertop and stared at the knife and the can opener, Aragorn's can of cold food sitting in between them.

* * *

The clock struck midnight as the day of the battle came upon them. Buffy was in the basement standing in the center of the Fellowship that encircled her. The moon shined through the small window, illuminating her face the way it had the night before and brightening the room considerably.

"Don't think for a second that I don't understand how much you're sacrificing just by _standing_ here", Buffy began with a appreciative expression on her face. "But I want to make sure that _you_ understand." The Fellowship gave each other confused glances and stared at her with puzzled looks. "Now you've gotten us this far, and I couldn't be more grateful, but we're not dealing with the Good Reverend Prick anymore. We're dealing with a Turok-Han army of millions."

Legolas nodded, his eyes on her firmly. "The danger is high."

Buffy turned to him and gazed at him incredulously for a few seconds. "Yes," she replied finally. "Yes, it is."

"Let them come!" Gimli announced, gripping the handle of his axe firmly.

"We've had our share of danger in the past," Merry said with a shrug.

"That's for sure," Buffy agreed with a nod and a scoff. "Your _fair_ share." She looked to all of them. "Are you sure you want more?"

Aragorn declared like the King she remembered, "We shall not abandon you when you need us the most."

"_I_ shouldn't be your main concern," Buffy explained to them with the weight of that day bearing down on her. "Your problem isn't time anymore; it's death. I can't… I can't promise you that you'll get back home." She gazed at them closely, shaking her head as she struggled to elucidate. "Galadriel told me that I have a destiny, but I also have a choice. Of course, I really didn't get it, but I do now."

She began to pace a bit, declaring with perfect understanding of the way of the world, "Everyone's told us that we have a place where we belong and to stray from that would bring consequences. What I want to know is… who chooses where we belong? I know I'm not standing in front of you because I have a destiny, or even because I'm chosen. I'm here because this is where I _choose_ to be. This is where _I_ think I belong. Now tell me. Where do you think you belong?" She looked down at Merry and Pippin with their eager, yet solemn faces as she added, "Think about your friends." She turned to Sam. "Think about your children." She glanced up at Aragorn. "Think about your wives." His eyes pulled away from hers as he gazed into the darkness contemplatively. She gazed down at Frodo and added softly, "Think about your home."

"Tell me," Buffy announced for all of them. "What do you choose?"

* * *

The minute hand of the grandfather clock in the Summers' living room turned in its endless direction once more.

Buffy stood in the kitchen staring out of the window and with her newly-discovered heightened hearing sense could hear the click of the minute hand moving, along with the repetitive beating of the seconds passing away.

It was 7:22 now. Just as predicted, the sun began to appear behind the quiet, deserted southern California hills overlooking Sunnydale. Buffy stood in the kitchen with her arms wrapped around her, staring silently out the window as she slowly watched the sun rise and beckon her call to arms, when on any other day for the past seven years it had beckoned her call to rest.

The Slayer could always feel the sunrise before it came. On any other day, she would slowly start her journey towards the sanctuary of home. On any other day, it would signal a time to hide her face away from the normal, sunny patrons of the daytime. On any other day, it would mean that the danger of the darkness had past.

Today, the darkness was just about to fall.

* * *

Spike stepped back away from the basement window and returned to his cot in the corner of the Summers' cellar. He, like any other vampire, could sense the heat of the sun before it appeared. But on this day, he, unlike any other vampire, could feel the weight of the sun resting on his shoulders.

He sat down on the cot in silent, brooding thought as he gazed down at the heavy, crystal amulet in his hand. In his mind he could hear it speaking to him, telling him of what was to come. It was not the First, but he decided that it was probably a combination his intuition and his own destiny. _Hell of a battle_, he thought to himself.

And would it matter? Would it make a difference in his life – in anyone's life? Would it weigh nearly enough compared to all of the horrible things that he's done?

_No_, Spike shook his head firmly and surely. _No, it wouldn't._

* * *

Frodo sat outside on the porch step gazing up at the sky as the light of the stars began to diminish before his eyes, reminding him of the day ahead. Irony, perhaps, for the most peaceful night he had in a long time to be followed by the most terrifying day of his life.

Was that worth being there for?

_There was calm,_ he thought. _If I die today, I had at least one more hour of calm. Something I was so sure that I would never see again. One night of serenity. One moment of peace._

Was that worth dying for?

Frodo looked down at his hand, particularly at his index finger which was half missing. It was the smallest price of his previous involvement in war. He reached and rubbed the back of his neck, his hand passing over the scars left by the tugging of the chain which held the most tremendously awful weight for thirteen months.

* * *

Sam also stared down at his tiny hand as the rays of light entered Dawn's room. The golden ring that rested tightly on his finger looked up at him, reminding him of everything that he had at home… everything he could lose today.

_I'm so sorry, Rosie_, he whispered in his mind. _If only I had known where I would be, I wouldn't of asked you for anything. I wouldn't of asked you to give up so much to me…_

The thought of her quintessential beauty burned into his mind; the memories of the way she looked on their wedding day screamed at him to return home.

_Doesn't she look beautiful?_ his mind asked him as he remembered her rosy pink face and the tiny white flowers in her curly hair. _Isn't she the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?_

_Most certainly_, he said, shaking his head with regret. _The most beautiful ever…_

The memory of her telling him of her pregnancy crept into his musing thoughts. _The baby_, he thought, picturing his child growing up without a father. The light reflected off of the wedding ring and struck him hard in the eyes as they started to well up with tears. The choice was simple: Did he want to be a Champion for his baby, or did he want to be there for his baby?

* * *

Aragorn gazed down at his sword as it gleamed up at him, the sunlight striking it in his position in Buffy's bedroom where Gimli and Legolas were asleep. His blue eyes deeply outlining every curve, every sparkle, every cut, as he pondered the weight of his weapon.

The weapon of Kings… meant to lead his people. But does that apply to all people? On any other day, he would be waking from his bed in his castle, going to the window and fixing his eyes on his domain as the sunlight covered it. He would turn back to see Arwen in her angelic and innocent sleep and would swear all over again to defend both his land and his queen.

_Arwen_, he thought again, her gigantic, blue eyes staring lovingly at him.

He was no king. He was a soldier first and foremost. That's why, he had decided overnight, he was here… in this position. Torn between a kingdom and a battleground. Torn between a queen and a Champion. Now he was on his way to fight, and possibly die, in battle. He wondered to himself if he would rather die in his sleep than die in a conflict.

_War_, he decided.

_That is the path that I choose_, Sam thought to himself.

_So wrongs are righted_, Spike determined.

_So peace can be found_, Frodo nodded as the stars faded away.

_Because that is my purpose_, Buffy resolved as she reached into a trunk in the master bedroom as Willow and Kennedy slept. Her hand closed around a soft, warm, black cloak from Middle Earth as she held it up in the light of the day. Her green eyes were fixated firmly on its comforting darkness.

_That… is my destiny._


	15. Armageddon

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**15. Armageddon:**

A distant Sunnydale clock tower coming from the deserted campus of UC Sunnydale chimed twelve times as the sun shined down directly overhead. The sounds traveled through every corner of the desolate town: through the empty seats of the Sun Theater, past the lonely headstones of the dozens of Sunnydale graveyards, into the vacant Bronze, and right up to the front door of 1630 Revello Drive.

However, no one met the toll of the bells at the Summers residence.

Instead, Buffy's army – complete with two slayers, Potentials, witches, the Fellowship, a watcher, the Key, an ex-demon, the slayer's best friend, an ensouled vampire, the Sunnydale High School principal and a reformed evil mastermind, sorta – marched across the bright, sunny parking lot full of abandoned school buses. The line moved swiftly with their weapons in hand; Wood led all of them with Buffy on the right with her Scythe and Aragorn on the left with Anduril, the rest of the army following closely behind.

"Welcome to Sunnydale High," Wood announced with the Fellowship and all the Potentials in mind as he marched through the double-door entrance and into the darkened and desolate high school hallway. "There's no running in the halls, no yelling, no gum chewing." His deep voice echoed as they passed the hallway of lockers and overturned trashcans until they stopped in the main intersection of the halls on the first level of the school. "Apart from that," he declared, "there's only one rule: If they move, kill them."

Buffy walked up beside Wood and began to direct, "Okay, Potentials in the basement follow Faith and Spike. Aragorn, lead your men down there, too."

Xander added, "If you have to go to the bathroom, it's to your left. If you don't, think about what you're about to face. Trust me; it's better to go now." The Fellowship, Faith, Spike and the Potentials, save for Kennedy, walked down the hall into the shadows.

"Willow," Wood said, pointing down a hallway, "my office is over there."

Buffy explained, "It's right over the Seal."

Willow turned to Kennedy and handed her the bag while Buffy handed her the Scythe. "I'll start getting you set up," she said to Willow as she turned and began towards the Principal's office.

"Okay, civilians," Wood ordered, looking at the rest of the crowd, "if the vampires get upstairs we have three areas that they can get through to another building, and then down into the sewers: down the hall in the atrium, through the North Hall here, and the primary target, through the lounge and straight through to the science building. Now odds are most of them will head there."

Giles suggested, "Teams of two, then? I suggest you and I take the lounge, Wood."

He nodded as he moved to the lounge. "I concur."

"Xander," Buffy declared, "I want you with Dawn."

"I concur," he responded.

"We'll check out the atrium," Dawn offered.

"So that leaves me and the Dungeon Master in the North Hall?" Anya asked with a sigh as she held her broadsword at her side.

Andrew swallowed and said with a shaky voice, "We will defend it with our very lives."

"Yes," Anya agreed. "We will defend it with _his_ very life."

"And don't be afraid to use him as a human shield," Xander suggested.

"Good. Yes. Thanks." Anya responded with a nod, her voice tense.

Andrew, emotional, stated with bravery, "I just wanna say how proud I am to… die with you for this very special cause. There, um, there are some people I want to thank." He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a piece of paper, unfolding it with misty eyes. "Um, I'd like to give a shout-out… to my… brother Tucker, who gave me the inspiration to summon demons." He added with a shaky voice, "And, um, also—"

Anya grabbed him by his shoulder, pulling him into the north hall as she rolled her eyes. "Nobody cares, you little monkey."

Dawn turned to Buffy as she held a heavy bag of weapons slung over her shoulder, "I'm going to check out our field of engagement." The teenage girl turned around and walked away from her sister like a woman.

Buffy rushed up to her, "Dawn!"

"Don't," she answered, stopping and turning back to her sister with a quiet voice. "Anything you have to say is going to sound like goodbye." Her sister stared at Buffy with eyes of admiration and melancholy for a few more seconds before she turned away and disappeared into the shadows of the atrium. Buffy watched her go, swallowing her words inside.

She couldn't help but have her mind drift back to the words that Lithuen Tinuviel had said to her in the tomb. Was it 'goodbye' that Buffy had meant to say, or 'forgive me?' Buffy turned her face away from the darkness and thought in silence. It didn't matter.

She turned around and faced the only three people standing near her: Willow, Xander and Giles. The original four gathered together in the center of Sunnydale High School staring at each other in calm and quiet. There were no words that could be said to one another for the tears that had been shed, the jokes that had been told, and the bonds that had been formed between them. These four now stood on the mouth of hell, as they had many times before, and had survived with dignity and honor – they were a testament to the human race. Proof that not only could humanity survive the evils of the world, but the evils of itself as well.

Truly, what could be said of any of them to encompass such a grand moment?

"So," Buffy asked with a light tone, "what do you guys wanna do tomorrow?"

"Nothing strenuous," Willow declared.

"Well, mini-golf is always the first thing that comes to mind," said Xander.

Giles shook his head in protest. "I think we can do better than that."

"I was thinking about shopping," Buffy frowned, her mind in contemplation, "as per usual."

"Oh! There's a new Arden B in the mall!" Willow remembered, his face lit up.

Xander shrugged. "I could use a few items."

"Are we going to discuss this?" Giles asked. "Save the world and go to the mall?"

"I'm having a wicked shoe craving," Buffy declared.

"Aren't you on the patch?" Xander asked.

Willow shook her head dismissively. "Those never work."

"Here I am, invisible to the eye," Giles sighed.

Xander, Willow and Buffy detached themselves from the circle and left Giles at the end of the hallway as Xander continued, "See, I need a new look. This whole eye patch thing isn't working."

"Oh!" Buffy suggested with excitement. "You could go with the full-black secret agent look."

"Or the puffy shirt and the pirate sash," Willow recommended.

Giles stood with his hands in his pockets as their voices faded away from him, standing there as he had seven years before while watching them walk off to face their destines. He turned away and began towards the lounge as he rolled his eyes and sighed, "The earth is _definitely_ doomed."

And then there were three. Buffy, Willow and Xander were now in silence as Willow detached herself from their sides. Buffy and Xander watched her walk into the Principal's office as she gave them a warm smile and a slight wink. Buffy looked up at Xander as they continued down the hallway and he grabbed her hand, squeezed it, and then released it to join Dawn in the atrium. Buffy continued down the hall on her journey, now alone.

She came to the staircase leading to the basement as phrases and words from her past filled her mind – those first meetings, those important moments, those painful endings. All of them swirling around in her memory as the terrifying thought of the dark side of what she was destined to become came back to her. Every moment of her life led her here. Was it all for the destruction of who she was, everything she stood for, and the world as she knew it?

She disappeared into the darkness, descending down into the basement. Whatever was about to happen, she couldn't let it phase her. She had a battle to win, and a plan for survival. She figured that if she really was about to become more powerful than she ever had been, then they'd need not only one Slayer, but a whole army to subdue her. But she wouldn't let it come to that. Not if she could do anything about it. She would not let go.

"Glad you made it, love," Spike's voice broke her train of thought. She was there in the basement with Spike, Faith, the Fellowship and the Potentials. "Wouldn't want to start the apocalypse without you."

All of them formed a circle around the unearthed Seal of Danzalthar – a demonic symbol molded out of iron, first opened by the blood of Andrew's friend, Jonathan Levinson, the same friend that Andrew murdered. Faith pulled out Andrew's ceremonial knife and handed it to Buffy.

"You first, B," Faith said as Buffy took the knife from her. Carefully, yet quickly, she slit her hand open and let it bleed over the Seal, then passed the knife around, repeating the same act with Faith and all of the Potentials, then all of the Fellowship, then Spike finally. The Seal began to glow and the blood dripped onto it, the engraved symbols coming alive with light. The corners of an engraved star began to lift up as the Seal itself opened, revealing a flight of stairs below.

"Pucker up, ladies," Faith declared. "We're going to hell."

* * *

In the Principal's office above the Seal, Willow and Kennedy could hear the noises of the Seal opening as they echoed from the floor. Willow sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by candles and incense as the Scythe lay in front of her. In front of the Scythe, was Buffy's crystal from Middle Earth – something that Buffy had told her should help significantly. Kennedy sat cross-legged across from Willow on the other side of the room, her stomach twisting as the sounds rang out around her.

"They're in place," Willow announced, swallowing hard. She grabbed the crystal, concealing it in one of her palms and she rested her hands on the Scythe, looking up at Kennedy. "Brace yourself."

* * *

At the bottom of the stone staircase, Spike turned to Buffy as he looked down at the amulet around his neck. "Not to be a buzzkill, love," he said, "but I'm getting zero juice from this thing. And I look like Elizabeth Taylor."

"Cheer up, Liz," Faith responded. "If Red's spell doesn't work, it won't matter what you look like."

There was enough light for them to tell that they were in some sort of cavern and massive monuments of limestone rose around them, glaring them down ominously as they could see the light of fire at the end of a tunnel. The group continued as Buffy paused, standing still as Faith, Spike, the Potentials and most of the Fellowship passed her. Aragorn however stayed behind and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"There's something that I haven't done," Buffy answered, her mind clouded. She reached up for Aragorn's head and quickly placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Buffy pulled away and looked up into his eyes, "Thank you… for coming. For being here."

Aragorn looked down at her in astonishment as she turned her worried expression towards the end of the tunnel. "You lack faith in yourself," he responded.

"Could you blame me?" Buffy replied.

He smiled warmly. "I have faith in you, Aratoamin." He turned away and began towards the end of the tunnel as she grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Wait," Buffy declared with a less apprehensive tone. "Look, I can't stand it anymore. I know, I suck at Elfish. There, I admit it. I don't know what you're saying when you say that word!"

"Aratoamin?" Aragorn repeated.

"Yes!" Buffy answered, crossing her arms. "For the love of god, what does that mean?"

He gazed down at her intently for a few moments, then smiled at her warmly, capturing her picture in his mind for the rest of his life. "It means 'my Champion.'" With that, he turned away and walked calmly to the end of the tunnel, joining the others. Buffy watched him go as she reflected his words, then a few seconds later she united with the rest of her friends.

When they were together again, Buffy and her army walked to the edge of a balcony of some sort, overlooking one of the most terrifying sights they had ever seen. Literally millions of Turok-Han soldiers swarmed below in their mini-hell like ants inside a hill, growling, roaring and snarling, preparing for their upcoming invasion. Buffy felt her stomach drop out as she gazed down with wide eyes at the lower cavern as the Turok-Han surrounded a massive bonfire in the center, unaware that their territory had been invaded.

The army stepped back in horror, trying with everything to keep themselves from running. Spike swallowed in disgust as he gazed down at the din below, while Aragorn nervously clutched his sword. Frodo clutched his shoulder as his war wound ached ominously, his other hand grasping tighter around the hilt of the short sword.

Buffy breathed quietly with a small, withering voice, "I'm not worried…"

"Really?" Rona asked as she held her stake up protectively with one hand, the other arm still in a cast. "Because I'm flashing back to Xander's bathroom speech."

"Oh my god, oh my god," Vi began to pant. "We're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die…"

"We're not going to die," Merry declared bravely. "You've nothing to fear."

Pippin added, holding his ax tightly, "Except for the fact that we're going to die."

Gimli declared worriedly, his voice hindering, "A dwarf… fears… nothing…"

Amanda swallowed hard and called with a quiet, terrified voice, "Buffy?"

"I'm not worried," Buffy said, breathing in and out slowly.

"Well, feel free," Sam replied, holding on to his short sword. "Now's a good time."

"We'll be okay," Buffy answered with a rapid rate. "As long as Willow can work her spell before they—"

One Turok-Han roared as the entire cave fell dead silent. Each of the disfigured vampires glared up at the balcony, spotting Buffy's army immediately.

"See us," Buffy finished, swallowing with a sense of doom. A grand, collective roar rang out throughout the cavern as the millions of Turok-Han began to race towards the balcony, armed with swords, spears and daggers.

Buffy closed her eyes, the horrifying sight disappearing momentarily as she called quietly, "Willow?"

* * *

Upstairs, Willow could hear her call for help, but she could not let it distract her. She held her eyes closed tightly as she whispered Latin rapid-fire, her palms clutching the crystal and the Scythe tightly.

Suddenly, she gasped as a wind blew through the office and blew her long, red hair out of her eyes. "Oh…" she breathed, feeling the Power form in the pit of her stomach, "my…" She clutched the crystal to the Scythe and held both firmly until the crystal pierced her hand, drawing blood. "…Goddess," she gasped.

The room suddenly was awash in white light as the Scythe rang out in the gust of wind.

* * *

Buffy's words from the day before filled all of their minds as the Potentials gasped suddenly, their bodies filling with power. The girls breathed heavily, staring down at their weapons and their danger, at once seeing the purpose of their destinies, the purpose of their training and the purpose of… everything.

_"Tomorrow," they remembered, "Willow's going to use the essence of the Scythe to do just that. We're going to change our future. We're going to change our destinies."_

* * *

16-year-old Jessica Thrash carried her flag across her high school's parking lot headed for the football field, the sun pouring down on the back of her neck, as she suddenly paused… feeling an emotion she couldn't describe. Her face flushed as she breathed intensely, images of Buffy and the new Slayers flashing through her mind.

_"From now on every girl in the world who might be a Slayer will be a Slayer."_

* * *

17-year-old Lauren Lambeth dropped her violin and bow in the middle of her lesson, nearly tumbling backwards. Her friend, Fiona Zwieb came to an abrupt stand to help her, but she realized that she also felt the same flushing feeling. Instead of getting weaker, the two girls realized, they were getting much, much stronger.

_"Those who can have the power will have the power."_

* * *

17-year-old Rina Hosoi stood up, dropping her glass on the table, and held her hand to her forehead as it beaded with sweat. In her mind, scenes of Sunnydale unfolded like a storybook as her eyes sparkled with power.

_"Those who can stand up will stand up."_

* * *

17-year-old Jan Haynes' zone out period provided to her by her physics teacher was suddenly broken. He had been standing over her delivering another endless lecture when she felt the gripping force overcome her. Her mind was carried over seas and mountains to the caverns of Sunnydale, reliving Buffy's journey as if it were her own. Her fist clenched her desk, pinching a metal bar that supported it as she gazed up, unafraid of anything the world had to throw at her.

_"Slayers. All of us. Make your choice."_

* * *

Rosie Gamgee suddenly felt a rush go through her body and center in her stomach. She grabbed her pregnant belly and gazed down at her future daughter. _Daughter_, she realized as the power came over her and tears of joy welled up her eyes.

_"Are you ready to be strong?"_

* * *

The new Slayers faced their oncoming enemies with steadfast resolve. "These guys are dust," Vi declared as she grinned a wicked smile.

The first wave of the army of Turok-Han leapt over the edge of the balcony and countered them.

The Battle of the Hellmouth had begun.

* * *

Kennedy giggled, gazing around her with a new sense of powers as her attention fell on her partner in shock. Her eyes widened. "Willow?

Willow sat across the room from her, light swirling around her as she beamed with joy. Her long red hair become pure white as her skin began to glow, tears dripping from her green eyes and being caught in the bowl of her glorious smile.

Her hands still clutching the glowing Scythe and crystal, she breathed lightly. The crystal began to glow a bright white as it suddenly disappeared in her hand. The light of the Scythe vanished and Willow was released from her trance, the glow fading from her skin and her hair taking on its red luster once again.

The room was lit by nothing more than candlelight once more as Willow grinned contentedly, her face still wet with tears. "So…" Kennedy asked tentatively, "you… are a goddess?"

Willow beamed at her and breathed a reply, "And you're a Slayer." The Scythe scraped the ground as she lifted it up and handed it to Kennedy. "Get this to Buffy." Kennedy took it and turned, exiting the office and running down the hallway. Still panting with glee, Willow flopped over on her side freely as she giggled in a dazed, loopy disposition, "That was nifty…"

* * *

Buffy punched a Turok-Han vampire to her left, then turned around and delivered a swift kick to the right as they swarmed all around her. Legolas pulled out double arrows and shot two Turok-Han, dusting them both. Vi jumped on the back of a vampire, slitting its throat with a gruesome blade. Chao-Ahn jumped in the air and delivered a spinning kick to the head of a Turok-Han, breaking its neck.

Gimli threw an axe into the head of a Turok-Han as he yanked another to the ground. With one broken arm, Rona threw a Turok-Han as if it were a rag doll across the cavern, breaking its body on the rocks. Aragorn sliced off the head of a Turok-Han and stabbed another in the chest. Amanda fiercely thrust a spear into the heart of a vampire as it howled with pain. Faith snapped the neck of a Turok-Han and jabbed a stake into the heart of another. Merry and Pippin shoved an off-balance vampire off of the balcony and into a pit of fire below. Sam stabbed his short sword into the back of another Turok-Han, while next to him Frodo sliced the legs out from underneath one and then stabbed it in the head. With a shout, Frodo yanked out the sword and went after another.

Kennedy dropped down into the pit of fighting and shouted out from across the mini-arena, "Buffy!" Buffy punched out a Turok-Han as Kennedy tossed the Scythe into the air, the weapon singing as it flew towards its owner. Buffy turned and grabbed the axe-end of the Scythe, plunging the stake-end into the chest of another Turok-Han. As the monster exploded into dust, she freed her weapon and used the dagger at the tip of the axe, jabbing it into the throat of another Turok-Han, dusting him as well.

A Turok-Han leapt out of nowhere and jumped on Kennedy. She grabbed him by the throat and tossed him away easily, then side-kicked another in the head, knocking him away. "I could get used to this!" she exclaimed with excitement. Another Turok-Han approached her as she grabbed him and bounced him off of a limestone pillar.

Fighting from every corner of the balcony, the army continued to eliminate the onslaught of Turok-Han, but it was not nearly enough to destroy them completely. Legolas let an arrow fly that struck a Turok-Han dead, but he noticed that several more were headed up the stairs through the Seal. "Aragorn!" he called. "They're retreating!"

* * *

The tiled floor of the North Hall trembled as distant roars could be heard. Anya stood in the middle of the hallway clutching her sword as Andrew walked up to her. "I think they're coming," he said fearfully, standing by her side with his sword.

"Oh my god," she breathed. "I'm terrified. I thought you would be terrified and I would just be sarcastic about it, but no…" The sounds of the roars became louder and louder as the enemy quickly approached.

"Think happy thoughts," Andrew ordered, beginning to panic. "A lake. Candy canes. Bunnies."

Anya paused, thinking about his last words as anger began to burn inside of her. "Bunnies," she thought, slowly getting over the one thing that brought her terror. "Floppy," she spat with fury, "hoppy… _bunnies_." She raised the sword in a ready stance as her eyes narrowed with rage.

* * *

A dozen Turok-Han charged down the hallway and around the corner into the lounge where Giles and Wood were ready and waiting. Giles cut off a head while Wood kicked another vampire in the face. He pulled out two knives and gutted another Turok-Han while Giles sliced his sword across another's throat.

* * *

The Turok-Han down the North Hall towards Anya as she ducked beneath the sword of one, slicing another at the stomach. Andrew backed up quickly as one snarled towards him.

"I have swimmer's ear!" he screamed as the Turok-Han tossed him aside. Anya cut the head off of a Turok-Han and sliced her sword clean through the torso of another as a group of Bringers slowly approached them from behind.

* * *

Spike punched out a Turok-Han and suddenly felt his chest become very hot – to the point of burning. He reached down, placing his hand on the amulet and pulled it away as it singed his flesh. "Buffy…" he called worriedly.

* * *

Willow was still lying on her side when she felt it. Her dazed eyes focused and were suddenly filled with terror. "Oh, no…" she breathed. "No…"

* * *

Xander cut the head off of a Turok-Han when he felt it. A tingling in the pit of his stomach. "No," he gasped, grabbing his heart as it began to ache.

"Xander!" Dawn screamed. He turned around to see three Turok-Han rushing towards him with swords drawn. Dawn sprang into action, grabbing a rope and yanking it down, pulling the window covering off of the skylight above, raining the noon sun down on them and incinerating them alive.

Xander clutched his heart again as she raced away from the atrium. "Xander?" Dawn called with confused as she ran after him.

* * *

In Lothlórien, Galadriel gasped deeply as she grabbed her heart and gazed down at the Mirror. "The price must be paid," she whispered alone as the moon shined down on her.

* * *

Xander shouted as he raced into the North Hall, "Anya! Anya!" Anya pulled her sword out of a Turok-Han to see Andrew get knocked down. Her focus was on him as a Bringer drew his blade behind her, raising it high in the air.

"Anya, no!" Xander called as he shoved her to the ground. She looked up as the Bringer brought the knife down into his body, cutting him from shoulder to stomach. She let out a terrified scream as Xander's lifeless body fell to the floor.

"No!" she howled in agony, suddenly realizing her love for him. Andrew, watching the horrified scene, turned around again and received a sword in his throat, decapitating him. Anya looked up, her eyes full of tears to see a Turok-Han with an axe raised in the air. He brought it down to her head. Dawn stood at the end of the north hall, watching in horror as the terrible sound of Anya's head being crushed and by the axe rang in her ears, immediately bringing tears forth.

* * *

Robin Wood snapped the neck of a Bringer, then stabbed a Turok-Han. He turned his head suddenly as he heard the scream of a young woman – Anya. When he turned back around, a Turok-Han plunged a sword into his stomach. Hearing Wood's call of agony, Giles sliced the head off the Turok-Han and caught Wood as he fell into his arms.

"I'm… sorry," Robin declared as blood poured from his stomach and fell from his lips. "We've failed…" With those words, he died in Giles' arms.

* * *

Aragorn kicked a Turok-Han off of him and stabbed another in the heart. As he pulled his sword out, he heard Buffy's voice from the distance. He turned towards her, making sure she was all right. "Keep the line together!" Buffy called out, still ordering her army as they battled around her.

Frodo yanked his sword out of Turok-Han, hearing Buffy's words as he saw a figure approach her. A Turok-Han with a white handprint across his face came towards Buffy with a golden sword in hand. Buffy shouted, "Drive them to the edge! We can't let them—"

"No!" Frodo shouted, but it was too late.

The Turok-Han pulled the sword back and plunged it into Buffy's back, stabbing her through the stomach. She looked down at the bloody, gold sword sticking out of her body as it was violently ripped out. Her attacker simply walked away, not paying her a single mind. Her shaky hand reached for her wound, trembling with fear and pain as she gazed around in disbelief. This was how it was going to end. She would be just another fallen Slayer as her army fought around her without a single realization that she had been wounded. Weakly, she took a few steps, and then suddenly collapsed, losing all strength and power.


	16. The Choice

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**16. The Choice:**

Faith pulled back her fist and punched a Turok-Han, spinning around on her heel and kicking another while she whipped out another stake and jabbed a vampire in the heart. Through the fighting all around her in the dark cavern, she spotted a young blonde fall to the ground, the Scythe still in her hands. "Buffy!" she shouted, running through the crowd to join her at her side.

She dropped down on her knees and gazed down at the unmoving woman. Buffy slowly lifted her head and looked up at Faith in shame, a long, bloody gash ripping across her forehead. The reformed Slayer looked down at the woman that she once wanted to be and it broke her heart to see her struggle to stay alive, breathing in utter pain.

Buffy looked up at her and ordered weakly, "Hold the line." With almost all the strength she had left she placed the weight of the Scythe in Faith's hands. Faith gazed down at the silver and red weapon, finally having the leadership that she thought that she always wanted. Buffy gasped and grunted in another wave of pain as she pulled her arm back to the ground and turned over on her back. Faith saw the exit wound in her stomach, a crimson pool of blood bleeding through Buffy's white shirt. It was all too much to see.

Faith clutched the handle of the Scythe and jumped up, cutting the heads off of two Turok-Han behind her as they exploded into dust. She went on a frantic attack, slicing at anything that moved around her with bitter fury.

* * *

Legolas continued to fire arrows left and right as he was pushed backwards towards the stone wall. Gimli sliced at the legs and stomachs of his attackers as he was backed up with Legolas. Another arrow shot through the throat of a Turok-Han and landed right between the eyes of another one behind him, killing them both. Legolas looked up from his battle and realized that there were too many coming in at once – they were trapped against the wall.

* * *

"Willow!" Dawn screamed as she cut off the head of a Bringer with her sword. She sped down the hallway, pushing back endless enemies. She stumbled and fell over something hard and looked down to see herself landing in a pool of human blood. She turned her head just a little ways to see Giles' blank and inert stare, his throat sliced open by a sword. In terror, she jumped up, grabbing her sword and pushed passed more attackers.

In the Principal's office, Willow slowly began to come to her feet as she heard her name being called. "Dawn?" she asked, looking up towards the door. The teenage girl rushed to the doorway with tears streaming down her face as a Turok-Han approached from behind, wrapped one arm around her shoulders and gruesomely bit into her neck. "Dawn!" Willow screamed as she rushed to the door as a wave of Turok-Han and Bringers flooded into the office.

* * *

"Dawn!" Kennedy heard from upstairs as she looked up at the cavern ceiling.

"Willow?" she breathed in fear, realizing that something was terrifyingly wrong. She looked down as a Turok-Han rushed her suddenly, thrusting a sword into her stomach. She gagged as the blade was ripped out and she fell to the floor dead.

Vi turned around to view Kennedy's demise. "No!" she shrieked, distracting her long enough to be tackled to the ground by a group of vampires.

* * *

Faith stabbed a Turok-Han with the end of the Scythe, then sliced the head off of a monster that tried to flee from her. She dashed after another that tried to run, jumping up and kicking him in the back the driving the stake-end down into the back of the monster. She felt at least three pairs of strong hands grab her and pull her back as three other Turok-Han charged at her from the front. She struggled to push them off of her as the slowly brought her tumbling to the ground. With a mighty toss, she threw the Scythe to the next Slayer in her eyesight – Rona.

Rona punched a Turok-Han with her arm cast, and then turned to catch the Scythe, piercing the heart of an oncoming vampire. She turned around as another ran towards her and she sliced the Scythe across his neck. She suddenly turned as she heard Faith yell in torturing pain, catching a glimpse of the last seconds of Faith's life as a Turok-Han plunged a knife into her stomach.

* * *

"Merry, help me!" Pippin called as he rushed backwards with his sword swinging. Merry pulled his sword from the back of a Turok-Han and then faced his friend as he rushed dangerously close to the edge of the cliff.

"Pip, don't!" he shouted as he ran in and cut stabbed his attacker in the back. The Turok-Han lunged forward and fell over the edge of the cliff. He grabbed Pip's hand just as the hobbit was about to fall backwards as well. Pippin accidentally dropped his short sword and looked backwards to see it fall down the steep, fifty-foot drop into the fiery pits of the bottom. Merry pulled back as hard as he could and dragged his friend to safety.

"Thanks," Pippin breathed as he looked up at his friend. Merry gave him a smile as they both turned to the left. Three angry looking Turok-Han stood before them with axes and swords, ready to slaughter them. Merry and Pippin braced themselves in terror, now unarmed.

* * *

Aragorn turned away from Buffy to see the two hobbits about to face imminent death. "Merry, Pippin!" he shouted as he ran towards them blindly. A Turok-Han rushed passed him with its sword drawn as he sliced Aragorn across the stomach. The King gasped in shock as he held his stomach gently, his hand being coated in warm blood as he dropped to his feet and fell over on his side, dropping Anduril on the dirt of the stone floor.

* * *

"Buffy!" Frodo shouted, finally reached his wounded Slayer. He dropped to his knees and gazed down at her as she lay on her back staring up at the limestone ceiling.

"Frodo," she breathed, loosing consciousness. "Frodo… where's… where is he…"

"Buffy!" he exclaimed as his gigantic blue eyes began to fill with tears. He gazed down at her stomach to see the enormous pool of blood that had now began to form around her body. It was too late. This was the end.

* * *

Legolas felt the cold blade of a sword stab through his stomach and be ripped out with force. The Turok-Han that mortally wounded him – the single one that broke through his defense of arrows – ran off to counter and kill another Slayer. Slowly, he fell to the ground finally, where he remained when Gimli turned to him and realized the sudden heart-wrenching truth that he was now alone in this world and every other.

Gimli dropped his axe to the ground in torment, tired of holding the weight of his constant battle as he stepped over to his friend's body. He gazed down at the fallen elf with tears flooding his eyes and running down his dirt-covered face. "I've failed you, my friend," Gimli wept. A Turok-Han rushed him from behind, picking up the dwarf's axe and swung it down towards his head.

* * *

Willow's bloodied and torn body collapsed to the floor of the Principal's office as she breathed her last breath. The Turok-Han, like locusts, instantly vacated the room and moved on to consume whatever was next, leaving nothing but Willow's corpse and the presence of a young woman.

The spirit of Tara Maclay gazed down at the love of her life with tears welling up in her eyes and barely able to breathe over the pure agony. She dropped down on her knees and touched Willow's cheek as it quickly lost the warmth of life. Tara leaned her head back and let out an excruciating cry of anguish, "No…!"

* * *

"You've got to promise me," Buffy breathed, her perception dwindling. "You've got to promise me…"

"What?" Frodo asked in confusion.

"You'll get out of here," Buffy answered, her stomach rising and falling with much pain. "It's all… up to you now—" She coughed suddenly, breaking her words off as blood began to trickle from the corner of her mouth. Frodo wiped the line of blood away and stared at it in horror.

"You've got to get home," she continued, her body trembling and aching. "You've… got to-to keep fighting… Please, promise me… Promise me, Frodo…"

Frodo looked down into her green eyes and replied momentously, "No." Buffy's eyes opened and looked up at him, stunned by the sudden darkness in his tone fueled by angry defiance and determination.

"No…" Frodo repeated as a smile curved on his face, shaking his head. "This is not how this will end… This isn't how it's supposed to be..." She stared up at him as if he were a maniac as he declared powerfully, "We must do this the right way!"

He grabbed her by her shoulders and used all of his strength to sit her up and bring her to her knees. Standing, he looked into her eyes with furious rage. "You don't get to die like this!" he demanded. "You don't get to give up so easily!" He glared into her eyes as she reeled back in fear, "You've got a choice, now – two options. You get on your feet and keep fighting like you've always told me, or you stay here and die like a coward!"

Frodo leaned down close to her face, his voice a menacing whisper. "Now you can choose whatever you wish," Frodo hissed, "but let me explain something about that second option. Don't expect me to feel sorry for you because you're more afraid of yourself than you are of fighting." His voice flared up with bitter anger and harsh sarcasm, "Do you want to die, Buffy? Then you die like a hero! A true champion! How does that sound? Finally taking your place in history and dying like the rest of them?"

Buffy's heart cracked as she gazed up at him like a deer in the headlights. He lowered his voice and declared, "You give up now, Buffy, and I promise you, you will die like a _true_ Slayer." He suddenly let her go and she fell forwards onto her stomach. In pain she lifted up her head and gazed up at his stern face as he damned her with finality, "Alone."

With a subtle gasp, she took in the ringing sound of that despised word in her mind. "Whatever you choose…" Frodo said, breathing slowly and calmly, his eyes tired and sad once again as he stepped back away from her gradually. "Finish it."

Slowly and surely, Buffy tried to push the weight of her body up off of the ground. She was able to push herself up to where she could put some of the weight on her knee, but the pain was too excruciating. She fell again, her arms and legs giving out pathetically, overcome with weakness.

"Uh oh," she heard from above. Buffy looked up to see the horrible reflection of herself, standing over her mockingly. "Oh, no," Buffy/The First sighed, looking down at the bloody hole in its stomach. "Mommy… this mortal wound's all… itchy."

Buffy swallowed hard as the First laughed in her face, squatting down and gazing in her eyes tauntingly. "That was a pretty neat trick you pulled. You came this close to smacking me down." The smile faded from its face. "But it won't save you though."

Buffy watched in tortured agony as her face changed to that of her beloved watcher. "Or your friends, for that matter," The First said, taking on Giles' guise, complete with the bloody gash across his throat. "You've disappointed me, Buffy," Giles declared disapprovingly. "I told you it was time to start acting like a general, and this is how you disgrace me? I tried to train you, prepare you, spent years of my life for this moment – only to have you fail." The First glared down at her in anger, "The last thing that went through my mind is how much I've wasted my life on a worthless cause." The words stung her deeply as it asked, "What would your mother think?"

Buffy's heart skipped a beat as the First took on the form of Joyce Summers as it stared down at her with her mother's dark eyes. "I told you to stop this nonsense!" the First snapped. "Well, I guess it stops now. Your friends depended on you far too much." The First crossed its arms and added with narrow eyes, "They should've never trusted you."

Joyce's form then split apart into two bodies – one male and one female. The voices of Xander and Willow said simultaneously, "A mistake we'll always regret."

Tears flowed from Buffy's eyes as she looked up at Xander's body, the long bloody gash crossing his chest. "Nice going, Buff," the First snipped. "You sure got the leader of the year award on this one. You just couldn't stop at the eye, could you? Don't worry, though. Didn't hurt a bit. Cross my heart." The First ran its finger across his slash mark as Willow/The First stepped up.

"I should've never brought you back," the First declared with Willow's voice. Its body was tattered and stabbed in many places with blood splattered across its face. "Then I would've been the Slayer after all. I would've saved the world." Willow and Xander's bodies came together and formed one again as the First morphed into Anya.

"Look at you," The First hissed, blood running down her face from the cut hidden at the top of her skull. "You don't even care. Good, bad, death, life – it's all one procedure for you." The First grinned angrily, "You think you're better than us, don't you? You think you're invincible." It let out a laugh, "You thought wrong."

The First crouched down again and took most torturous form of all – the form of her sister. "Your blood," Dawn/The First smiled, blood still trickling from the wound in its neck. "My blood. Our blood. You promised me you wouldn't let anything happen to me. Now see what you've done?" The smile faded, "Mom is going to be so pissed at you…"

Buffy closed her eyes tightly – she couldn't watch, let alone bear to hear. But the First continued, "You were right, Buffy. Death is your gift." The First leaned in close and said in a low whisper, "It's your curse. It's your fate. It's the only thing you know how to give."

Buffy swallowed these words hard as she opened her eyes and viewed this taunting cut. "Well, guess what, big sis – I don't need you anymore," the First declared, coming to a bouncy stand and pacing around a bit. The First stopped and glared down at Buffy, deadly serious. "I'm going to reduce this town to ruin… this town, this dimension... and every other in existence. I'm going to tear your precious Middle Earth apart piece-by-piece. Everything you cared about and both worlds will be destroyed. Everything and everyone. I'll string that Queen Bitch up by her hair. I'll crush the old wizard in my hands. I'll take Sammy's little midget wife and rip her and her beautiful baby to pieces. My little lost lamb, Spike? I'll make him wish that he'd killed you when he had the chance." The First leaned down and said in a smiley, secretive tone, "And Angel?" The smile turned cold. "I'll kill him last." Buffy's eyes fell on her sister's face as she was reminded again of who she was talking to.

"The beautiful thing is," The First continued with Dawn's guise, "none of this would have happened if it hadn't been for you." The First came eye level again, transforming back into Buffy.

"You and me," Buffy/The First grinned. "Look around you," it said with wonder and awe in its voice. Screams erupted from the left and right as Chao-Ahn was pulled away by a Turok-Han as it fed off of her while Amanda dropped down to the ground, wide-eyed with a dead stare, her stake falling beside her. With a sickening rip, the last girl – Rona – collapsed to the ground as a sword was pulled from her chest, the Scythe clattering on to the ground.

"Isn't it wonderful, the world we have made?" The First whispered with enchantment. "Is this what you were searching for?" it asked. "Is _this_ what you wanted?"

Buffy closed her eyes tightly, not being able to stand the horror and tragedy falling around her. Slowly, she reopened her eyes and saw above her, not the First, but Galadriel, standing tall and firm with a stern expression on her face. Buffy, the only one who could see her, stared up at her in confusion as Galadriel began to glow a soft blue light.

Aragorn, in the last moments of his life, turned his head to the right as he heard a ringing sound. He turned to see the Scythe, lying unmanned on the ground, as it began to glow a soft blue. With all the strength he could gather, he reached out for it.

* * *

In Lothlórien, Galadriel stood before the Mirror by herself in the moonlight as she slowly extended her arms towards the air. "I shall take this burden," Galadriel declared with bravery as her skin glowed a light blue. A gust of wind filled the glittering city and swirled around her, her sparkling robes flapping in the wind.

* * *

Buffy gazed up at Galadriel with wonder as the wind whipped around her, revealing a torso of silver armor. "This price shall be paid," Galadriel stated with a booming voice as she stood before Buffy powerfully. "I transmit my soul!" Her body became lost in the brilliance of the white light that formed in the cavern as it drained into Buffy's body.

Buffy gasped as she breathed in the essence of the elf sorceress and a gust of wind blew over her. She closed her eyes tightly as the tingle in the pit of her body, last experienced with Caleb, returned once more.

"What I want…" Buffy breathed lividly as she opened her eyes to reveal that her irises now glowed a bright blue, "…is for you to get out of my face!" The First stood up and stepped back in fear, realizing that the Power of the Ultimate Champion had descended upon her.

Aragorn lifted up and tossed the Scythe through the air with what was left of his strength. Buffy slowly came to a stand as her entire body became luminous with a blue light. She glared at the First with burning rebellion as she proclaimed in slow, calm tones, "I will _not_ be told my place." She reached out and grasped the Scythe as if it had flown directly into her hands while Aragorn fell to the ground, having taken his last breath.

The last Slayer gazed around at the world, seeing the entirety of the battleground as it moved slowly for her when in reality she was moving much faster than time itself. Her eyes darted around like an eagle turning its focus from prey to prey as she clutched the glowing Scythe.

Buffy turned her attention away from the First to see Merry and Pippin standing at the edge of the cliff still with the three Turok-Han coming towards them menacingly. Merry froze suddenly, his focus off of his enemies and on his rescuer.

His eyes went wide with wonder and fear. "Buffy?"

The Turok-Han turned around towards their huntress with stunned expressions and confused expressions. Buffy pulled the Scythe back like a baseball bat and with a mighty cry she swung it at them. Merry and Pippin ducked as a flash of blue light extended from the weapon and shoved the Turok-Han back off of the cliff as they exploded into fiery ash in midair.

* * *

The light that was Galadriel dissipated and flew through the cavern and up through the Seal of Danzalthar, through the school hallways of Sunnydale and into the bodies of the dead, reanimating them and bringing their souls back to life.

With a gasp, Aragorn's eyes opened as he stared up at the ceiling, not quite sure how he got on the ground. A Turok-Han ran to him as he clutched Anduril and stabbed it through the chest. He jumped up and continued the fight. Near him, Rona came to a confused stand, as did Amanda and Chao-Ahn.

* * *

Gimli stood up as he grabbed his axe and roared with delight and force at the oncoming Turok-Han army. One of them approached the dwarf from the side as an arrow shot through its heart, dusting it immediately. Legolas jumped up and joined his friend at his side as the two took on the next wave of fighters.

* * *

Willow gasped suddenly, her eyes opening wide as her body glowed with the white light. She sat up, her flesh having been regenerated, and gazed down at her blood-stained top, lifting it up to see her unwounded skin. She heard a faint sigh from behind her – that of precious relief – and she turned around suddenly knowing exactly who was with her in the darkness…

Willow blinked with surprise. There was no one in the room with her. She stared around at the empty Principal's office as a warm smile curved onto her face. She was not alone. "Strong like an Amazon," she whispered.

* * *

Two combat boots shot up in the air, knocking out two Turok-Han as Faith energetically flipped onto her feet. When she straightened out, she took a small breath, holding her stomach in winded astonishment. Faith looked up to see more Turok-Han headed towards her. She was more than ready.

* * *

Kennedy jumped up into action and rushed over to a Turok-Han, snapping its neck from behind and tossing it away. Kennedy extended a hand to the girl on the ground whom she saved from the Turok-Han. Vi took Kennedy's hand and stood up, not sure what had just happened to her. Vi looked up at her friend. "Did I just…?"

"Doesn't matter," Kennedy cut her off. "Time to finish it."

* * *

Willow rushed out into the hallway outside of the Principal's office to see Dawn Summers leap up and thrust her sword into the stomach of a Bringer. Willow breathed with relief to see that Dawn, though shaken, was also okay. "Oh, no," Dawn suddenly remembered, spinning on her heel and heading for the North Hall. Willow turned the other way and ran for the lounge to see Robin Wood and Giles holding off the Turok-Han and Bringers better than ever before with speed and newfound energy.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dawn rushed through the hall to see Andrew pushing a Turok-Han off of him, ripping his sword out of its body. He turned around suddenly and knocked a Bringer out with a single punch. Her eyes then rapidly searched for Xander and found him, standing up groggily and pulling his eye patch off, revealing a perfectly new left eye to match the untainted right one. "So much for not having to watch _Jaws 3D_ ever again," he said with a shrug. He then quickly extended his hand out towards the ground.

Anya looked up at his hand as she pushed herself up off of the ground. She stared at his hand, then stared up at him with hesitance. Just as he was about to take his hand back, she reached up and grabbed it tightly. With a grin, he pulled her up to her feet as they both turned and faced the new wave of enemies.

Dawn smiled at this warm scene and then glanced over at Andrew to see him spin kick a Bringer to the ground. "Ha!" Andrew declared, lifting up his bloody sword. "I vanquish you in the name of the Jedi Council!" A Turok-Han suddenly tackled him to the ground with the force of a Mac Truck.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "For a second there… he was actually kinda hot." She raised her sword and up and countered his attacker.

* * *

Faith staked a Turok-Han in the heart, then back-flipped in the air, kicking another one over the edge of the cliff. A bright light exploded from the edge of the cliff as she turned to Buffy, her jaw dropping agape.

Aragorn cut off the head of a Turok-Han as he caught sight of the woman in the middle of the fight who had surpassed them all. Buffy was blazing with blue light, the Scythe dancing off of her fingertips as she slayed and sliced at the oncoming Turok-Han army left and right. Her feet seemed to only barely touch the ground as she jumped off of wall, pillar and limb, running on the top of her enemies and throwing them into a literal whirlwind of dirt and fire that she had somehow magically conjured. She had become the Ultimate Champion.

Spike felt another sting in his chest as he gazed down at the amulet in pain. Panting, he looked up and was distracted as he caught sight of Buffy. His eyes wide, he stared at her blankly as she took out waves upon waves of Turok-Han, a dozen at a time. She had no necessity of even looking at her opponents before she slaughtered them or tossed them about like rag dolls. She grabbed two by the throat and threw them into the crowd. She back-kicked one away and stabbed the stake-end of the Scythe through three Turok-Han, dusting them. Buffy then dug the stake-end into the ground and rested her weight on it, lifting her feet and stomped on the faces of the Turok-Han as she ran in a literal circle then came to her feet, picked up the Scythe and cut the remainder of the ring around her at the torso.

A cloud of dust circled her along with the dirt of the ground creating a tornado at their feet. Another vampire rushed her from the front as she kicked him back against a pillar. The Scythe telepathically flew from her hand and pinned the vampire's throat to the stone pillar with the axe-end. She lifted her heeled boot and stepped on the stake-end, holding it in place as two Turok-Han approached her from the sides. With her bare hands, she grabbed each by the chest and clutched them tightly. Both of the Turok-Han let out agonizing roars as they exploded into flames at her fingertips. She then stomped down on the stake end and cut the head off of the pinned Turok-Han.

She reached out for the Scythe and grabbed it once again, then spun around and thrust her open palm towards three oncoming vamps. They paused, screamed as they were lifted in the air and they were reduced to flaming ash.

* * *

The city of Minas Tirith began to tremble.

Through the streets in the White City, men, women and children ran for their lives and rushed into the safety of their homes as the ground shook beneath their feet.

Inside of the palace, Gandalf ran into the Hall of the King where Queen Arwen jumped up from her throne, the guards around her clutching their spears and swords in terror. "Arwen!" Gandalf announced. "It's happening!"

A burst of light appeared in the center of the great hall as it expanded and began to swirl around into a cloudy disk. "You did it!" Arwen exclaimed. "You opened the doorway!"

"No, my lady," Gandalf shook his head with a worried tone. "I did nothing. Something has changed…" Arwen's smile faded as she turned to the blue portal as it grew larger and larger, an enormously forceful gust of wind exploding through the hall and knocking them to the ground.

* * *

The First, still in Buffy's guise, stepped back with a face of terror as it watched the Ultimate Champion destroy its army wave-by-wave. "She did it," the First exclaimed with disbelief. "That bitch actually did it!"

Aragorn approached the First from behind, whispering angrily into its ear, "You've lost your war." The First could not take its eyes off of Buffy as the King of Gondor passed it by, gloating in imminent victory. "The scales have changed," Aragorn declared.

A hand suddenly gripped his arm nearly crushing his bones.

Aragorn was jerked around as he stared down at the masculine hand that clutched his arm with ferocity. On one of the fingers on the hand, to Aragorn's shock, was the One Ring of Power.

"That they have," a familiar voice answered back. With wide, terrified eyes, Aragorn looked up into Boromir's blue eyes as they glared at him with livid, maniacal hatred and a twisted, dangerous grin. "…My King." Aragorn breathed in horrified astonishment as he glanced down to see his friend, still in the clothes that he had died in with the addition of the long, black cape that he had given to Buffy.

The First pulled its arm back and knocked Aragorn away more than a dozen feet and sent him crashing through a stone pillar. Buffy turned, hearing the awful, forceful sound as her glowing blue eyes went wide, disturbed. The Chosen One turned slowly and gazed across the cavern.

The world continued to move slowly in her eyes as they watched a tall man with long blonde hair straighten out as his back faced Buffy across the plethora of fighting between them. Her new enemy turned around slowly, letting out a mad laughter as the First faced her with a twisted grin. Both of them stared at each other through the slowed down clanging of the weapons around them. A roar let out to the right of Buffy. Her eyes found the gigantic Turok-Han with a white handprint across his face as it ran to its master with the golden sword stained with Buffy's blood in its hands.

It ran to the First and dropped to its knees before it, lifting the weapon up as an offering. Boromir's eyes did not leave Buffy as it reached down, picked up the sword and clutched the hilt with one hand. The second the First came in contact with the blade, the gold turned black, filling with darkness. With its free hand, it gently tapped the Turok-Han on its shoulder. With another excruciating howl, the Turok-Han jerked its head back as it exploded into flames.

"Ahh!" Frodo screamed as he dropped to his knees and grabbed his old war wound. He looked up and caught sight of Boromir/The First with abject terror. Merry, Pippin and Sam all ran over to Frodo and gazed around in confusion before they followed his line of sight. They stared at the unimaginable monster as he challengingly glared at Buffy with a perverse smile.

"Good heavens," Gimli stated in shock as he looked over across the way at the First's guise while Legolas continued to fire arrows. The elf suddenly stopped as he saw Aragorn lying motionless on the ground and he faced Boromir/The First with the rest of the Fellowship. "It's Boromir!" Gimli gasped. Legolas looked down at Gimli and shook his head.

"No," the elf replied. "It's not." Legolas raised an arrow and aimed for the First's head. He let the arrow fly as it traveled across the cavern, missing surpassing every other target with the speed of a hurricane wind. The First suddenly reached out and grasped the arrow in the blink of an eye. Legolas' bow fell as the elf stared at the First in astonishment, experiencing an event that had never occurred before.

The First pulled his arm back and in another blink, the arrow flew back towards Legolas and impaled him in the shoulder. "No!" Gimli howled as Legolas fell back to the ground in pain. The hobbits charged at the First in angry retaliation with their swords drawn and the First pulled his sword back and sliced the air, a shadow releasing from the dark blade. The force knocked all four of them back several feet as they crashed into the cave walls.

Buffy looked around at the slow fighting of all of the Slayers and then the defeated Fellowship. She was all alone in this fight.

Once again, she faced the First and gazed at that heartbreaking face knowing that she had no choice but to destroy it. Slowly, Buffy began to walk towards the First, clutching her Scythe tightly. Mirroring her actions, the First marched towards the Champion, holding the Dark Sword up in the air. The stride heated into a run as the antis began to race towards each other.

They approached the center with a fierce collision. A mixture of light and shadow exploded from them as they clashed and both were blown backwards several dozen feet. The First flew backwards through the air and landed on its back while Buffy back-flipped and her feet crushed the stone ground as she made a perfect landing. The Slayer looked up at her enemy as the First angrily came to another stand.

Aragorn's eyes opened as he groggily pushed himself off of the ground. He looked up to see Buffy and the First speeding towards each other again while a new wave of Turok-Han rushed to kill Buffy. Aragorn whipped Anduril out and began to take them on by himself. Across the way, the hobbits saw what he was doing and began to do the same, shielding Buffy while she faced off against the First.

Spike looked over in shock after he made another kill to see Buffy and the First collide the second time. However, this time, they grabbed each other and lifted off of the ground in a spin. Astonished, Spike watched as the two battled above the ground in the air – kicking, punching and slashing at each other in a blur, their moves being much faster than any human, nor vampire eye could see. He suddenly felt another burn in his chest.

* * *

Sam killed a Turok-Han and turned around to see Frodo surrounded by a whole group of them and one of them quickly approaching from behind. "No!" he shouted. "Frodo!" Sam ran towards his friend and stabbed the Turok-Han, only to have it turn around and impale Sam through the stomach with a sword. Sam yelped and groaned as the sword was ripped out and both of them fell to the ground.

Frodo turned around in shock to see Sam hit the ground as he killed another attacker and then dropped to his knees. Frodo looked into Sam's pained eyes and gazed down at his bloody torso. He placed his tiny hand over his friend's wound, but it was nothing more than a thumb in the cracked dam of a river beating them both down.

* * *

The First grabbed Buffy and flew down, burying her into the ground and creating a crater in the floor of the cavern. Both were still and lying motionless in the bottom of the pit as Buffy's glowing eyes opened slowly. She was quickly losing the Power and the First was only getting stronger. Helplessly, she lay on the ground and watched as Boromir's body straightened out before her as the First picked up the Dark Sword once more. She looked for her weapon weakly, but it was nowhere in sight.

The First let out a cruel, half-dazed laugh, calling Buffy's attention again. She looked up at the First as it gazed down at her with a bloody smile, raising the sword in the air. That face, she thought as she stared at him in pain. The First had found the way to break her.

"You can't do it," the First chuckled. "You can't kill me." Buffy stared up into Boromir's blue eyes knowing that was the truth. Buffy's eyes squeezed shut as voices filled her mind.

_"Fear not the Darkness when it stands in your path," Lithuen's voice echoed._

Buffy's glowing eyes opened as Galadriel's voice reminded her, _"The greatest enemy you have… is yourself." _Buffy looked up and gazed at her enemy, seeing the First in its real form. The First was again in Buffy's guise, however, it had black hair and black veins bulging across its neck and face. The eyes of the First were completely blacked out as it smiled down at Buffy, completely confident of its victory.

"I see you," Buffy whispered with a smile as the First's grin faded again. The First brought the Dark Sword down into Buffy's hand as she caught it. An explosion of light blew the First backwards as Buffy clutched the sword and it dissipated in her fingers. Buffy's body lifted off of the ground as she was raised to her feet and she glared at the First as it tried to stand up.

Buffy extended her hand out to her Scythe. The First's eyes widened as it heard the ringing of the Scythe flying through the air. It turned to see the Scythe flying through the cavern stake-first as it impaled the First in the heart with enough force to lift it off its feet and pin it to a stone pillar.

The First grabbed the Scythe as it began to glow even brighter, the light entering Evil Buffy's body. Buffy watched with disgust as the anti version of herself pulled its head back and let out a screeching howl. The First began to glow as its golden, ram-headed demon form erupted from its self-destructing body, giving a final roar before it disappeared into the ground, retreating. The lifeless anti-Buffy body was consumed by light and exploded into a cloud of ash.

Spike clutched his heart again as this time, stronger than any other, a painful force overtaking him. He swallowed deeply and breathed, "Oh, bollocks…" He fell back against the cave wall as a white light burst from within him and blew a hole through the ceiling of the cave, through the Seal of Danzalthar, through the floor of the Principal's office and straight through the roof of Sunnydale High School as a beam of bright sunlight rained down on Spike, illuminating him in golden rays.

Spike stared up at the sun and miraculously did not burst into flames. He called out, "Buffy!" Buffy pulled the Scythe from the pillar and turned towards Spike in shock to see him awash in the beam of sunlight. The amulet around his neck suddenly began to sparkle and glow.

"Spike!" she shouted back.

A massive beam of sunlight exploded from the amulet, being filtered through his body, and ripped out across the Hellmouth. The entire army of Turok-Han was dusted in fiery ashes within seconds as the sunlight reached every corner of the cavern. As the ashes fell, a tremendous earthquake rocked the cavern as stones and pillars began to crumble and collapse around the Slayer army.

Faith ordered, "Everybody out now!" With that, the Slayers began to retreat up the stairs and out of the Hellmouth, save for Buffy.

Another light burst on the opposite side of the cavern. Buffy turned towards it as a blue portal exactly like the one that opened in as a doorway back to her world from Middle Earth widened and swirled around, beckoning the Fellowship back home.

Aragorn turned to see the portal open instantly, realizing that the time had come and their only opportunity was now. He reached down for the patch at his side and grabbed the white crystal, his ticket home, gazing down at it. Suddenly, he looked up and gazed across the cavern to see Buffy standing near a pillar with her Scythe in hand, staring at him warmly.

The two Champions gazed at each other with warmth between them. "Goodbye," Buffy whispered, even though he was too far away to hear.

"Goodbye, Aratoamin," he answered back softly. She gave him a half-smile as he turned away from her and ran towards Legolas and Gimli. He pulled the injured elf off the ground and he came to a stand, holding his bleeding shoulder. "It is time to go home, Legolas," Aragorn declared. "You're going to be all right." Legolas nodded with a smile as he and Gimli retrieved their crystals and ran into the portal, disappearing in the blue mist.

Aragorn watched them go as the cavern gave another groan, more of the ceiling crumbling and falling to the ground around them. Aragorn turned to see Merry and Pippin slowly making their way towards the portal, then suddenly began to look around with worry. "Where's Sam and Frodo?" he asked with fear.

Frodo gazed around him to see the massive stone boulders fall to the ground as a pillar collapsed near them. He looked back down at Sam as the hobbit stared up at him, tears streaming down his face. "I… I'm sorry, Mr. Frodo," Sam breathed as he trembled with pain. "I tried…"

"Don't be sorry, Sam," Frodo declared. "You saved my life. Again."

Sam gasped for air as blood began to fall from the corner of his mouth. "I-I let her down, Mr. Frodo," he said weakly. "I let them both down."

Tears began to well up in Frodo's eyes as he shook his head, "No… no, you didn't. Not at all, Sam."

"Tell her… I'm sorry. I… I never… meant to cause her so much pain." Sam's words became slower by the second as his life drained away. "Take care of her… Take… care of… my baby…" Sam Gamgee closed his eyes and fell away, leaving Frodo alone as the world fell apart around him.

* * *

Rosie collapsed on the ground inside the Tower of Ecthelion as she looked up at the red flower that Sam had planted for her as it quickly began to wilt in her presence; the life draining being drained from it. "No!" she cried out as tears fell down her face.

* * *

"Sam!" Aragorn declared as he raced through the cavern, stones falling all around him. "Frodo!"

Behind him, Pippin leapt into the portal with his crystal in hand. Merry turned around as he caught one last glimpse of Buffy running towards the exit. With that, he turned and jumped into the portal, returning home.

Frodo held Sam's body in his arms as tears fell from his eyes. His best friend was now gone and was more lost than he had ever been in his life. "What do I do?" he breathed in fear as if he were a small child. "Sam, what do I do?"

Gandalf's voice rang in his mind: _"Here you are at the crossroads of a grand choice."  
_  
That single phrase sparked an onslaught of memories that filled his mind.

* * *

_Merry stood in the Summers' kitchen declaring to her mutinous friends, "She's extraordinary. Beyond your world. Beyond any of you. Not because of a destiny or some silly title – but because of one thing. Sacrifice." _

Frodo stood in the bedroom of an abandoned house staring at Buffy's tear-soaked face as she held herself in the darkness, "It takes more than opportunity to make a choice, Buffy. It requires courage."

Aragorn stood in the Hall of the King having heard the news of Buffy's disappearance, "To that I answer that I would sacrifice whatever was required… because that would also be her reply."

Angel somberly explained his actions in the tomb beneath Sunnydale, "You gotta do what you can to protect your family. Sometimes that means sacrificing a part of yourself in the process."

Buffy stood with her arms crossed in the basement, "Tell me. What do you choose?"

He remembered the very first time he ever saw Buffy – standing on top of a tower in a vision of the future sent to him long ago. "Live," Buffy pleaded, "for me."

* * *

Frodo reached inside of the pouch at his side and pulled out the white crystal, staring at it intently. "I choose life for you, Samwise Gamgee," he whispered. "Live." He pressed the crystal down on Sam's chest as it began to glow white. Sam gasped as he opened his eyes as was healed from the inside out, the crystal disappearing when its power was spent.

* * *

Rosie stopped crying and came to an astonished stand as she gazed at Sam's flower. Its withered state was reversed as it glowed white and returned to being a healthy, living plant.

* * *

Sam sat up and gazed at Frodo in shock, slowly realizing what had just taken place. Frodo looked over at the blue portal as it began to dim. "I think it's time for us to say goodbye," he said as he turned back to Sam. A tear fell down Sam's cheek as he stared at his friend in shock.

Aragorn ran up to them and watched as Frodo added, "The story, Sam. Make sure you tell the story." Without another word, Sam nodded and grabbed Frodo, hugging him tightly. They broke the hug as they both came to a stand.

"Goodbye, Frodo," Aragorn declared as he took Sam by the shoulder. Frodo nodded in reply with a smile. He watched as Aragorn and Sam grabbed their crystals and ran off, disappearing through the portal as it dissipated and vanished. Frodo looked around at the peril around him as he turned and tried to escape.

* * *

"Bus," Wood ordered as he and Giles stood outside of the collapsing school. "Get them on the bus!" Giles signaled the retreating Slayers to load an abandoned school bus as Willow, Xander, Dawn, Anya and Andrew raced out of the school doors.

Dawn stopped in her tracks. "Wait. Where's Buffy?"

Giles grabbed her by the arm and pulled her along. "She'll be okay. We need to help the others."

* * *

"Get out of here, Buffy," Spike declared as he stood inside the cavern against the wall, the beam of sunlight still protruding out of him. Buffy stood beside him and watched the cave continue to collapse.

Buffy shook her head as her eyes began to water. "No, no… you've done enough. You can still—"

"No," Spike cut her off. "You've beat them back. It's for me to do the clean up." They turned back to see the entire back of the cavern collapse and crumble.

"Buffy, let's go!" Faith called from the staircase as she rushed up, not being able to wait any longer. Buffy was frozen in her place.

"It's time to go, lamb," he remarked with a smile. He gazed out at his destruction. "I think it's fair to say school's out for bloody summer." She turned back to him and shook her head, knowing that he was being slowly burned from the inside out. Soon enough he would be able to feel it if he hadn't already.

"Spike—"

"I mean it. I've gotta do this!" He clinched his teeth as he felt the first real burning sensation begin to tear at his insides. Buffy stared at the light coming from his chest in shock, and then gazed up at his determined face. He had become the man she had hoped he would be.

Spike felt a gentle touch as Buffy's fingers met his, both hands closing around each other. He looked down at her in disbelief as she gazed up at him with tears in her eyes and a sense of wonder and awe. As his hand closed tighter around hers, it ignited in flame, something neither of them worried about at the moment.

He gazed down into her eyes as she marveled in his presence, a warm smile overcoming her. Every kind act that he had done for her, every moment of her pain that he had consoled her through – no matter where she was or where she wanted to be – ran through her mind. In his eyes she saw herself once again being held until she fell asleep. And now here he was. With all of his faults and all of his wrongs, he was once again holding her, protecting her from a fate that she did not have to face. A destiny and burden that he took from her. The weight of the world was no longer on her shoulders, it was on his.

With a meek voice, she said with tears streaming down her glowing face, "I love you…"

He heard the three words he had wanted her to say for so long and a small smile formed on his lips. "No, you don't," he kindly answered. "But thanks for saying it."

She gazed at him warmly for what felt like forever until the ground rocked again and she stumbled, their hands breaking. "Go," Spike ordered. "Now." Buffy listened and turned away from him, running up the stairs as he gazed out to face his destiny.

"I wanna see how it ends…"

* * *

A massive explosion of dust and dirt erupted from the front doors of Sunnydale High as Faith ran out of the school and onto the bus, ready to roll. She rushed inside and ordered Giles to go. Not having any time left, he stomped on the gas as the bus sped away. Dawn gazed out the back window waiting longingly for her sister as the entrance of the school got smaller and smaller.

* * *

Debris fell from the school as Frodo ran down the North Hall, the walls and ceiling literally falling down around him as the ground continued to quake. He stumbled in the dirty darkness and landed on the ground as the ground beneath him cracked and began to split.

A hand grabbed his shoulder. He looked up to see Buffy practically lift him off of the ground and carry him as she raced through the school, Frodo in one hand and the Scythe in the other. Without hesitation, she raced to a flight of stairs and began to run up towards the roof.

* * *

Spike begin to laugh in jolly defiance as fire came. His insides were incinerated by the sunlight as he was burned from the inside out and he was reduced to ashes as the light of the amulet disappeared, his soul leaving his body, and it fell to the ground, buried underneath the Hellmouth as it finally caved in.

* * *

Dawn looked up and slapped her hand on the window of the back of the bus as she saw her sister running across the rooftop of the main school building as it collapsed beneath her. She leapt to the next building just as the last one disappeared with both the Scythe and Frodo.

"Oh, my god!" Dawn gasped as the bus sped down the street beneath Buffy. She ran across the rooftops of downtown Sunnydale as one by one, the buildings began to collapse and disappear into the growing crater that originated in the Hellmouth. Buffy finally came to the Sun Theater as she made a final leap and landed on the roof of the school bus with both she and Frodo clutching on to the roof.

Buffy looked back to see the massive sinkhole grow larger and larger, pulling in every building, home and street in Sunnydale leaving nothing but a giant dust cloud and a hole in its wake. Faith looked back inside the bus to see the same horrifying sight as Sunnydale, California disappeared before their very eyes.

The bus slowed to a halt as Buffy and Frodo clutched the roof as tightly as they could. Buffy turned to Frodo in shock as she sat up, no longer glowing, the Power having dissipated completely. She declared with anger, "Are you out of your mind! What happened? Why didn't you go with the others? You could've been killed! What were you thinking?"

Frodo looked up at her and simply replied, "I made my choice." Buffy stared down at him as her stone face began to melt with understanding. She smiled and warmly put a hand on his shoulder and wrapped him into a hug.


	17. Place in the World

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**17. Place in the World:**

The portal closed behind Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Sam, Merry and Pippin as they entered the Hall of the King. Inside the court, Gandalf, Arwen and nearly all of Gondor was waiting, backed up all the way out of the Tower of Ecthelion. Arwen ran to her husband and wrapped her arms around him, and in that moment he once again fell in love with his wife. He closed his eyes and held her tightly.

"Sam!" the hobbit heard. "Sam!" He turned around to see Rosie Gamgee run through the crowd towards him. He grabbed her and embraced her lovingly, his heart soaring in her presence. "Oh, Sam, I thought I'd never see you again!" she exclaimed, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm home, Rosie," he promised as he held her in his arms. "I'm home for good."

"Would somebody get a doctor!" Gimli shouted as he stood next to Legolas, still holding his shoulder. "Are we not visible? This elf is bleeding! Less reunion, more working!"

Pippin turned to Merry. "Guess it'll take a while for that Sunnydale thing to wear off."

"Well, I... I don't understand," Gandalf declared as he looked around at all of them with a grave voice. "Buffy is not with you? The mission was a failure, then?"

"The mission was not a failure," Merry answered. They turned to him as he gazed into space with a half-smile on his face. "Not at all."

"Then where is she?" Gandalf asked.

"Where she is needed," Merry responded. "She's home."

Arwen turned to Aragorn. "And Frodo? Where is Frodo?" Rosie looked at Sam as his face fell flat, his eyes filled with a hint of sadness. Aragorn placed his hand on Sam's shoulder and gazed up at Gandalf and his whole kingdom with a knowing smile.

"He has chosen his place."

* * *

"I don't understand," Giles declared as he stood outside of the bus and gazed back at what was left of Sunnydale as the sun beat down on them. "What did this?"

Buffy let go of Dawn as Frodo came to stand by their side and stared out at the massive crater. "Spike," Buffy replied.

Buffy, Giles, Dawn and Frodo walked to the edge of the crater as Willow, Xander and Anya followed. "So, guess you decided to stay after all," Xander declared, staring at Frodo.

"What can I say?" Buffy replied. "I told him to make a choice. So he did."

"Are you sure that's smart?" Anya asked. "I mean, god knows how this was _supposed_ to end."

Buffy answered as she crossed her arms, "I'm not worried."

Faith strolled up to them with a smile. "I guess the Hellmouth's officially closed for business."

"There's another one in Cleveland," Giles enlightened. The gang turned to him, giving him a dirty look. "Not to spoil the moment."

"Guys, take a moment," Xander announced. "We saved the world."

"We changed the world," said Willow.

"She's right," Frodo answered. "And everything that Lithuen said would come to pass has. You became the Ultimate Champion, left the Hellmouth in ruin and ended the world as we knew it."

"For the better," Dawn added. "We have to find the new Slayers."

"We will," Willow assured.

"Yes, because, the mall was actually in Sunnydale so there's no hope of going there tomorrow," Giles observed.

"We destroyed the mall?" Dawn sighed. "I fought on the wrong side."

"All those stores gone," Xander shook his head. "The Gap, Starbucks, Toys 'R Us. Who will remember those landmarks unless we tell the world about them?"

"Oh, god," Anya breathed. "All that money destroyed. How horrible."

Giles answered, "We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

"Can I push him in?" Faith asked tiredly.

"You've got my vote," Willow replied.

Faith gave Giles a friendly punch on the shoulder. "I just wanna sleep, yo. For like a week."

"I guess we could, if we wanted to," Dawn said with a shrug.

"Yeah." Willow grinned as she pushed her hair out of her face. "I mean, the First is scrunched, so… what do you think we should do, Buffy?"

Faith turned to her. "Yeah, you're not the one and only chosen anymore. You gotta live like a person, how does that feel?"

"Yeah, Buffy?" Dawn asked. "What are we going to do now?"

Buffy stared out at what was left of her world. A beaming smile came over her face as she pondered exactly that.


	18. Epilogue

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their other respective owners.

**A/N ABOUT THIS STORY**: As you can tell, I've taken several scenes directly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings, word-for-word in the dialogue. This is not to rip off any of the real writers because I respect their work and I am not a plagiarist. This is an artistic ploy to put the reader in the mindset of where they are and is essential to the story. The Buffy episodes used were episodes (6.1-2) "Bargaining, 1 and 2" written by Marti Noxon & David Fury, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me" written by David Fury & Drew Goddard, (7.18) "Dirty Girls" written by Drew Goddard, (7.19) "Empty Places" written by Drew Z. Greenberg, (7.20) "Touched" written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, (7.21) "End of Days" written by Jane Espenson & Doug Petrie and (7.22) "Chosen" written by Joss Whedon. The Angel episode used was "Orpheus" written by Mere Smith. The movies used are, of course, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (if you didn't know that, you just suck).

**Epilogue: **

**Rome, Italy: October 24th**

In a dark alleyway, a lone figure crept about. He was restless and tired. Tired of running, tired of being afraid, tired of being hunted. He rest his back against a wall and looked up at the sky as a semi-full moon glittered down on him, passing clouds briefly casting shadows on his face. The weary man with pale white skin looked back down at the ground, his hunger overtaking him.

_If only I could find something… _he thought to himself. _Something or… someone._

His nose twitched and his pupils dilated as he gazed down into the darkness of the alley. There at the end of the narrow alley, all by himself, was a teenage boy who sat motionlessly with his head up at the sky. A smile stretched across the face of the dark-eyed man who lifted himself off of the wall of the alley and silently stepped towards his unsuspecting prey.

As he approached the boy, he could smell the scent of human blood running through its veins. He was still unbelieving that such a fresh, young piece of meat was sitting before him all alone, just waiting to be snatched and eaten. The moon illuminated the vampire's path and shined on the teenager's white shirt, acting like a heavenly spotlight on that which he longed for so much.

The eyes of the man filled with hunger as his face morphed into its demon form; his dark eyes becoming a light yellow as he licked his sharp, jagged teeth.

"Am I interrupting something?" a peppy, feminine voice asked from behind him. The vampire's eyes went wide with terror. _Oh, no. Not her._ "Because," Buffy Summers continued with an innocent expression on her face, "I could make this really quick, if you'd like…"

The vampire turned towards the Slayer – _the_ Slayer of all the Slayers – with wide eyes of horror and doom. "I-I'm sorry…" the vampire began to beg. "I wasn't, I-I didn't mean to…"

"Yeah, sure," Buffy affirmed with a roll of her blue eyes. "I've heard that one before. Next thing you're going to tell me is that you have a soul, too."

"L-look," the vampire struggle to reason, "what-what happened back there… it was an accident. In fact, it-it wasn't even me; it was one of the other guys…"

"And let me guess," Buffy sighed, crossing her arms as she threateningly stepped towards the vampire, "Quija board just didn't do it for ya and you guys decided to kick it up another notch?"

"W-well…"

"See? That's what happens when you start playing around with magical forces. And now… you've got to answer to a higher power."

The vampire swallowed hard as sweat began to bead off of his face. "What… what are you going to do to me?"

"Oh, no," Buffy shook her head with a smile. "It's not _me_ you've got to worry about."

A stake slammed through the vampire's back and pierced its heart. The demon howled as it gazed down at the wooden weapon sticking out of its chest. Seconds later, the vampire exploded into a cloud of dust that drifted and settled on the ground as peacefully as a breeze of wind.

Buffy looked up at the teenage boy just a little over her eye level as his blue eyes gazed down at his kill, feeling the Power running through his veins as he held the Scythe tightly in his hands.

"Not bad," Buffy observed with a grin. "I think we can work with this." She took the Scythe from him as she gazed down at the dust. "One question on my mind," she began with a contemplative expression, "why the hell did he keep calling you the Immortal?"

"Not sure," Frodo answered as he gazed down at her, then looked back at the dust he left behind, still in awe of himself.

Buffy joined his gaze. "You hungry?"

His eyes widened as he turned to her. "Starved."

**The End.**

* * *

_Please review and tell me what you think, then go to__ my website and follow the LETTER link on the homepage for something special for the fans!_

_---Natalie_


End file.
